


The Only Heaven I'll Be Sent To

by Reeseykins



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Adventure & Romance, Anal Sex, Blow Jobs, Developing Relationship, Explicit Language, First Time Together, M/M, Masturbation, Mutual Pining, POV Male Character, Porn With Plot, Rimming
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-11
Updated: 2015-11-25
Packaged: 2018-03-22 07:16:38
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 50,755
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3719983
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Reeseykins/pseuds/Reeseykins
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Following the events of A Choice with No Regrets, Erwin and Levi settle into a surprisingly amicable relationship.  Erwin soon starts to realize that his feelings for Levi are more complicated than purely professional.  On a brief and much needed leave from their duties, Erwin is surprised to find out that Levi feels the same way.  Unbeknownst to them, however, bigger forces are at work -- forces which conspire to destroy them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Title comes from the song "Take Me to Church" by Hozier because I am a huge dork and like song lyric titles.
> 
> "The only heaven I'll be sent to / is when I'm alone with you."

Erwin’s eyes snapped open, an hour before the morning bell. He lay awake on his back for a few moments without moving, letting his eyes adjust to the darkness and breathing the crisp, early-fall air. He reached his arms out and stretched, still prone, and felt his shoulders crack and pop. Another moment and he was out of bed, on the floor doing a quick set of one-armed push-ups. When he was done he slipped on his uniform pants and soft undershirt and hurriedly went about organizing the paperwork he had left out the night before.

Normally, Erwin would take his time with his morning routine. He would have a cup of coffee while reviewing his agenda for the day, and would mark down any stray thoughts that had bubbled up from his subconscious while he slept in the small notebook he usually kept in his breast pocket. He liked having extra time to organize his thoughts and prepare for the day, before anyone else was expecting him to be up and about.

Recently, though, he had been shortening his process in favor of joining Levi for an early jog. He ran a hand through his hair, combing it roughly into place, and headed out of his room, down the stairs and out into the training grounds. Levi was waiting for him outside, leaning casually against a wall. When he saw Erwin, he started moving immediately, and the two fell into an easy pace beside each other as they headed out from their base into the nearby forest.

Erwin had shown Levi this jogging path a couple of weeks ago after noticing that he was doing laps around the exterior wall of the base in the mornings. Levi had been surprisingly receptive to his suggestion that they meet each other before dawn so he could show him a more interesting and challenging route for his morning workout. Erwin got the impression that, although Levi mostly kept to himself when not training with the rest of the Corps, he was in need of some company. His suspicions were confirmed when Levi suggested that perhaps Erwin could come along again the next morning – just to be sure he had the route right. Since then, Erwin had been skipping most of his usual pre-dawn routine to meet up with Levi. He found himself looking forward to getting out of bed each morning to see Levi waiting for him, looking bored.

Jogging, however, was not very conducive to prolonged conversation. In the span of those two weeks, they hadn’t said much to each other of substance. Every now and then, Levi would surprise him by asking Erwin some seemingly-random question about military protocol, or local flora, or about nearby villages and towns. Erwin always answered eagerly, encouraging Levi to continue talking, although typically they lapsed into silence again within a few minutes as they ran. Today Levi was quiet, and Erwin stole glances at him from the corner of his eye, watching the way his hair bobbed as he ran, and wondered about the enigma who people were starting to call “humanity’s strongest soldier.”

There was a light mist of rain, and by the end of their first mile their clothes were soaked through. Erwin wiped the moisture from his face with his forearm and Levi startled, looking up at Erwin like he was only just now realizing they were side by side. 

“Everything alright this morning, Levi?” 

“Yeah, just annoyed at this shit weather.” Levi glanced at Erwin sidelong. They ran along in quiet for another minute, then Levi cleared his throat. “Do you ever think about…that day?”

Erwin slowed his pace a fraction. Despite the cryptic question, Erwin was sure he knew exactly what Levi was talking about – the day Levi went on his first mission and lost his two friends, Isabel and Furlan. The same day Levi took a swing at Erwin, with the intent to kill. Erwin thought about it a lot, actually.

“What day do you mean?” Levi had never spoken of it once in the months since that mission, but it was obvious to Erwin that his grief had left an indelible mark on him, even if he had clearly managed to accept the loss of his friends. Erwin thought it was ironic that this was the closest Levi had ever come to discussing it—jogging in the rain one foul fall morning with him, the man he had once been hired to kill.

“Never mind. It’s nothing.”

Erwin knew that wasn’t true, but he didn’t want to make him uncomfortable or cause him any pain by forcing the issue. As they jogged back into base a quarter of an hour later, Erwin hoped Levi would go back to it, but he didn’t even make eye contact as he waved a dismissive goodbye and walked off towards the barracks. He watched him walk all the way across the grounds and disappear into the building before he finally turned and started back up to his room to wash up for the day.

~*~  
During their last mission outside the walls, two squads had been decimated by an ambush of abnormal Titans. It had been the first mission to go poorly in over 6 months, but it was eerily reminiscent of Levi’s first time out. The mission had been simple: resupply the first two outposts south of Shinganshina. Everything went smoothly on the ride out, but as they were headed back, Erwin and his squad, Levi included, saw the black smoke signal go up. At Erwin’s order they diverted course and headed right towards it. 

When they arrived, at least 5 soldiers from two different formation groups were dead, their bodies in pieces on the battle field. One was squashed like a bug into the grass. Levi was cool and methodical as he swooped to take down one of the Titans; Erwin focused on another while the remaining troops struggled to reform. They lost three more before it was over—one of the Titans pulled a young soldier apart by her arms and legs, then slurped down her torso right in front of them all. Levi skidded in, low to the ground, before the Titan could grab another terrified soldier and spun up along its back, slicing its neck wide open and bloodying his uniform in the process. The surviving members of the squad watched him in awe and, admittedly, Erwin had a hard time not feeling the same way.

After the mission, Levi and Erwin sat in Erwin’s office in quiet, sipping tea. Erwin hadn’t even invited Levi – Levi had just followed him and made the tea for them both.

“Those brats should’ve ran. Dumbasses didn’t even realize they should’ve ran.” Levi’s voice cracked a little as he spoke, although outwardly he seemed disaffected.

For all their training, all their drilling, Erwin thought, they never really taught the soldiers how to assess when the odds were stacked against them, when to cut and run. They relied on the chain of command for that, but what happened when the Squad Leader or, worse, the Commander fell on the battlefield? How were the rank and file to know when to press on and when to retreat? Later that night, when Erwin submitted his official report on the mission, he suggested to Commander Shadis that they supplement their new recruit training with some lessons on the finer points of disengaging from the Titans. 

Shadis had instantly approved Erwin’s recommendation. This morning was his first in his new training regime, and to help ensure its success he had asked Hange, Mike, and Levi to join him. Survey Corps’ newest recruits, a group of fifteen men and women, were lined up before them, looking alert but uncomfortable. They hadn’t been ready for the last mission, having only just graduated a few days before, but Erwin was sure they had heard the stories. 

Erwin began by explaining the basic premise of the new drills. Dummies set up in the forest would simulate an ambush; this part wasn’t too different from how they already trained offensively. This time, however, squads of three would practice dealing non-lethal blows to the dummies in order to buy themselves time to slip away. The veterans would supervise, rotating through the different squads, and would verbally interject game-changing scenarios about the Titans that the recruits would have to respond to on the fly. It was the best Erwin could come up with for field training, although he intended to supplement with added time going over strategy with the soldiers as well.

Erwin invited Hange to add her comments about the behavior of the abnormals they’d encountered beyond the Walls. “Abnormal Titans are the greatest threat in the field. Whereas your average run-of-the-mill Titan appears to be motivated by a sole purpose – devouring human flesh – abnormals act in a completely unpredictable fashion. Despite my extensive field observations, I have yet to pinpoint what, if anything, drives these Titans or if there is any uniformity to their seemingly random behavior. Now, as Squad Leader Mike can attest, Titans often have a very pungent aroma, and you can often identify whether a Titan may be lying in wait to eat you by their smell…” Hange, per usual, was brimming with information, but her scholarly enthusiasm was clearly having a poor effect on the recruits’ morale.

“Thank you, Squad Leader Hange. That will be sufficient for today’s purposes.” Erwin cut her off politely with a nod. “Recruits, head out in squads of three. We will be out shortly to issue challenges and observe your technique.” The trainees zipped off as ordered into the forest.

“Hey, shitty glasses, next time cut down on the science babble so the recruits can focus on the real point of this exercise. I thought the brats up front were going to shit themselves when you started talking about Titans stepping on them.” Levi smirked and engaged his 3DMG gear, soaring off into the trees. Mike cracked a smile and Hange guffawed. 

Erwin watched him go with a smile as he quickly double-checked his gear. Overall, despite his caustic attitude, Levi had started to make friends, and something about that made Erwin feel content. He turned to issue orders to Hange and Mike, but came up short when he saw them both looking at him.

“What?”

Hange’s grin was unsettling. “Oh, nothing. Just wondering if you even realize what your face looks like half the time.” She laughed at her own joke and whizzed away. Erwin raised his eyebrows and looked to Mike, who shrugged and grunted in a way that suggested he agreed with Hange. Another moment, and Erwin was standing alone on the forest floor, wondering what the hell had gotten into the two of them.

~*~

Erwin set out, listening for the nearest squad. A few minutes later he found them, perched together on a high limb not too far from one of the Titan dummies. Erwin couldn’t hear them from where he was, but he could see Levi, arms crossed, addressing the three soldiers seriously.

Erwin shot up into the trees and landed on a sturdy branch, only a few feet from Levi. 

“Is there a problem here, Corporal?” Erwin asked Levi. One of the young female recruits, named Gitta, looked particularly agitated, and the other two were avoiding eye contact.

“Is there a problem?” Levi addressed the young woman, arms still crossed. She looked like she had just been on the verge of tears, but snapped a smart salute. 

“No sir!” 

“Good. Now get back out there and let me see your form as you take out this Titan’s ankles.” The soldiers engaged their gear and were away before Erwin could ask any questions.

“What was all that about?”

Levi shrugged. “One of the soldiers got cold feet is all. It’s nothing.” Erwin turned his attention to the Cadets as they swung low around the dummy, angling for its legs. They sliced at its ankles, then cut off in three directions into the trees in a basic avoidance maneuver. Pleased, Erwin turned back to Levi to comment on their form. Levi’s head snapped quickly out into the forest – had he been staring at Erwin? Erwin felt a little warm all of a sudden.

“Carry on, then.” He said simply, and shot off the branch, suddenly feeling embarrassed and eager to put some distance between himself and Levi.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This honestly started out as porn without plot and then ballooned into a monstrosity of feels. I don't think I even realized how complicated and deep this pairing could be until I started writing, and there is no way I can do it justice but here's my contribution anyways. I've read a bunch of (really lovely) fics from Levi's POV where he pines after Erwin, and I kind of wanted to get something inside of Erwin's head. So this is essentially Erwin pining for Levi. There will be lots and lots of sex at the end, I promise (I even have a fair amount of it already written)! 
> 
> Also I have never written anything long enough to warrant chapters. I probably could have posted this all as 1 story but if I didn't start posting the beginning parts I would work on them endlessly. I suppose I will update the tags as I go along cos that's a thing that you're supposed to do, right?
> 
> Edit as of Chapter 10: I think it is safe to say this morphed into a lot more than originally intended. I would now describe this as essentially romance (with smut sprinkled in), and a hefty dose of intrigue/adventure.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Erwin contemplates what Levi means to him. Maybe a shower will help clear his mind. (Spoiler alert: it doesn't).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know if there are showers in this universe, but seriously just go with it. Who doesn't want to picture Erwin Smith in the shower?
> 
> Updated the tags to include masturbation, yay.

Erwin spent the late afternoon in his office, working through a mountain of requisitions and reports. It was typical for him to dedicate a few hours before dinner to his in-office duties. Normally he was extremely productive, but today he was feeling unsettled. 

The training exercise had gone well, better than expected in fact. Shadis was pleased with his initial report and decided he would personally attend the next session to view the recruits’ progress. What’s more, they had just received word that the Corps’ next mission outside the walls was approved for three weeks hence. Erwin had played a large role in securing the funding and approval for the mission, and as a reward for all his recent efforts Shadis had extended his upcoming leave by a couple of days. He’d already been planning a trip into Karanese District to pick up some personal items and check in on his informants, and now he wouldn’t have to rush, and could even stay overnight if he wanted. By all accounts, he should have been feeling at ease. 

His thoughts wandered away from the pages in front of him as he stared vacantly out the window. He replayed over and over again in his mind that moment when he was sure he’d caught Levi watching him. Coupled with Hange and Mike’s friendly teasing, Erwin felt like he had been the butt of a joke today, and it grated on him. 

So what if he admired Levi? The man was impressive. Not only was he the most skilled Titan-killer Survey Corps had likely ever seen, he was a self-made man. He’d pulled himself up out of the Underground, a literal and figurative gutter, by force of will and wit. Now that he was here, Erwin felt he was a crucial component of the Corps’ continued success—despite his flippant attitude towards authority, he had captured the hearts of many of the soldiers. It was good for morale to have someone as skilled as Levi on board. Erwin ran through each of these points one by one in his mind, reiterating to himself for at least the third time that any thoughts he had about the diminutive man were purely professional. 

An image of Levi’s fair skin and tiny waist popped into his mind, and he thought suddenly of what it would feel like to wrap his big hands around that waist. Those thoughts were certainly not professional at all. Erwin grunted and crumpled up the blank sheet of paper in front of him in frustration.

As he tried again to focus on his paperwork, there was an unexpected knock on his door. He steeled himself for a moment, and called for the visitor to come in. It was the young recruit from earlier in the day.

“Sir!” She snapped an almost painful looking salute, her anxiety apparent.

“Cadet Gitta. What can I do for you?”

“I fear I owe you an apology sir!” She hesitated, swallowing, clearly not sure how to proceed.

“I’m sure it’s nothing, Cadet.” Erwin prompted gently. His tone seemed to have an effect, and she shuffled her feet as she slowly started to explain.

“Earlier, in training, I was…well, I was freaking out, sir. I was talking about running away, I guess, and I, well, I questioned whether any of your drills were any good, and I uh, I may have said some…not so nice things about you.” She grimaced and wouldn’t look up from the floor, but she didn’t seem like she was finished talking so Erwin stayed quiet.

“But then something Corporal Levi said snapped me out of it. He said: ‘I can’t tell you what the right choice is. I can’t tell you to stay or to go, you have to make that decision yourself, every day. But I can tell you this, being here, in Survey Corps, with Erwin Smith – those are your best odds.”

Erwin’s mouth went dry as he processed Levi’s words. He knew the likelihood that this particular Cadet would survive her first mission outside the Walls was pretty slim – not because of her skill level, or her attitude, or any particular trait, but simply because of statistics. Levi knew that too, of course. They’d talked about it plenty, holed up in Erwin’s office between missions. But Levi had gotten on her level, made her feel comfortable, and because of that she was clearly feeling renewed vigor for her place in the military. 

Finally, the Cadet spoke up again. “I’m really sorry, sir, I was just scared!” 

Erwin snapped out of his thoughts immediately, got up from his desk and reached out a reassuring hand to her shoulder. “There is no need to apologize, Cadet Gitta. Everyone here has had a moment like that at one point in their career. I’m glad we have such an honest soldier like you here with us. Please, don’t fret over this incident anymore.”

She smiled up at him and let out a deep breath. “Thank you, sir. I feel much better now.” She snapped another salute and turned on her heels, seeing herself out.

Erwin stood for a moment by his window, staring out at the base. He could see the forest from this vantage; far beyond was Wall Maria and past that, the wide world. Levi’s words – about choice, about odds – echoed in his mind as surely as if he had heard them spoken. Whatever improper thoughts he harbored for Levi, he was right about one thing: he was quickly becoming crucial to the survival of Survey Corps as an organization.

It was an hour until dinner. Erwin thought that maybe a shower would help clear his head.

~*~

After grabbing his towel and a fresh set of clothes from his room, Erwin headed for the showers. They were housed in two wooden buildings, one for men and one for women, and although they were old, they were clean and functional with hot water to boot. Normally Erwin showered in the morning—lately after his jog—when there was a constant stream of people in and out. Although he kept himself somewhat set apart from the troops more and more since he became a Squad Leader a little over a year ago, when it came to showering and meals he still mingled with the rest of the troops. He liked the air of camaraderie; he felt a little less lonely in those moments, a little less like the fate of everyone and everything hung on his shoulders.

This late in the day, however, Erwin wasn’t surprised to see that the place was deserted. It suited his purposes. He had come to clear out his mind with hot steam and the rhythm of the water on his skin, not for companionship.

He swung open the door and chose a shower stall about halfway down the length of the building. He turned the water up as hot as it would go and let it run as he disrobed. He hastily flung his harness and jacket onto the bench that ran the length of the room and toed off his boots, already feeling the tension start to seep out of him. He absentmindedly struggled out of the remainder of his uniform and didn’t bother folding it before he stepped under the water.

He let out a deep sigh as the water rushed over his head and down his body. The sound of the water drowned out any ambient noise, and for a moment he felt disconnected from it all. Normally he would wash up and be on his way promptly, but this afternoon he had time to spare, and he was determined to take a few minutes to get his head straight. He braced his arms against the wall and leaned into the water, closing his eyes as it pelted his face. 

After about a minute of standing in the running water, he gave himself the slightest latitude and allowed his thoughts to again drift to Levi. He knew instantly it was a mistake. He felt his cock start to grow hard and he couldn’t will it to stop. 

It had been so long for Erwin – since he’d had sex, since he’d been intimate with anyone. For years now, he had put both romance and physical pleasure at the bottom of his list of important things in his life, for so many reasons. It was a distraction from his duties, first and foremost, but it was also risky business. The last time he had slept with someone he cared about it had ended pretty poorly. Deep down, too, Erwin felt he shouldn’t allow himself the comfort, or the pleasure, or anything good or pure. Someone like him did not deserve to be loved.

He slammed a fist against the wall in frustration. Despite all that, he was human, and his blood was running hot. When had his grudging admiration for Levi developed into…whatever this was now? When had his mind and his body decided to conspire against him, make him lust after the man? He wanted to touch every inch of Levi’s skin, wanted to see his steel-grey eyes looking at him while he wrapped his lips around Erwin’s cock, wanted to see what his face looked like when he let his guard down. For the first time in months, Erwin took his cock in his hand and started to stroke.

He kept his left arm braced against the wall and his face in the water as he slowly worked his hand up and down. He imagined the noises Levi would make as he fucked him into oblivion, and the feel of him afterwards, the warmth of his body curled against him, strong and solid. Erwin wanted it all. His hunched his back and leaned heavily against the wall, rock hard as he quickly neared a long pent-up orgasm.

He suddenly got the very distinct impression he was being watched. He dropped his hand away and shook his head under the water, trying not to seem like he had just been caught in the act by whoever it was that had decided to take a shower at this odd hour. When he looked up, he almost choked on his tongue – there was Levi, arms crossed, just inside the entryway door. Their eyes locked. Erwin really could not tell if Levi knew he had just been jerking off. He tried a little overly hard to be nonchalant.

“Hey.” Erwin called.

“You don’t normally shower now.” Levi stated. He was watching him suspiciously, like a startled cat about to duck back outside at the first loud noise.

“I wanted to clear my head before dinner,” Erwin said truthfully. Levi seemed to accept that answer, and he strode into the room, stopping two stalls over from Erwin’s. “You know when I shower?”

“I take two showers a day. I’m usually the only one here right before dinner.” Levi had removed his jacket and hung it neatly on the hook by the shower stall door, and was carefully undoing his cravat. Erwin tried not to stare at the triangle of Levi’s freshly exposed neck. His cock was still painfully hard and throbbing, but he didn’t dare touch himself now.

Levi stepped into the stall and modestly removed the rest of his clothes behind the privacy screen before turning on the running water. He immediately got to work with his bar soap, meticulously scrubbing himself. 

“Cadet Gitta came and saw me earlier this afternoon. She wanted to apologize.” Levi grunted in affirmance that he had heard. “She also told me what you said, Levi.” 

Levi looked up, through the strands of black hair plastered to his pale face, but didn’t stop his scrubbing.

“You know, we don’t normally tell soldiers that they have a choice in the matter when it comes to following orders.” Erwin tried to keep his tone light. He was still struggling to ignore the throbbing between his legs.

“Yeah well, I’m not really a soldier, am I?” Levi said.

“That’s not true at all. You are an excellent soldier. And you’re great with the new recruits.” He couldn’t tell if it was the steam in the shower house, but he thought he saw a blush creeping up Levi’s shoulders and neck. 

“Thanks.” Levi’s head disappeared as he bent down to wash his lower half, and Erwin turned back to his own shower. His erection had, at last, died down a little, and he felt comfortable finally picking up his own bar of soap. Just as he was trying to decide what to do or say next, he heard the water turn off in Levi’s stall.

“That was quick. I hope I didn’t ruin your afternoon shower.” Levi was toweling off vigorously, and Erwin felt his breath catch a little at the rare sight of his disheveled hair. He smiled at Levi, and Levi’s eyes went a little wide in his head. Erwin couldn’t read him.

“Nah, it’s not like that. I just…I take short showers, that’s all.” Levi dressed quickly, then stepped out of the stall to sit on the bench and slip on his boots. Erwin watched out of the corner of his eye as Levi’s delicate fingers expertly retied his cravat. The next thing he knew, he could hear the click of Levi’s boots signaling his departure.

Erwin turned to see Levi hovering at the door, smirking. “You can finish yourself off now. Sorry to have interrupted.” He slipped out, not leaving Erwin any time to respond.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Erwin invites Levi on a strictly-business trip to Karanese District. At least, that's what he is telling himself it is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so so much for all the incredibly thoughtful, kind, enthusiastic comments and kudos!! I am just thrilled that people enjoy this trash. Every comment means so much to me, so THANK YOU!!
> 
> Note that this chapter contains spoilers for Erwin's backstory, from Chapter 55 of the manga.

Erwin arrived for dinner a few minutes after the mess hall doors opened. As he took a spot at the end of the serving line he caught a glimpse of Mike, who was already sitting down across the hall at their usual table. Erwin tried not to look for Levi, but despite the fact that he was a head shorter than nearly everyone it was hard to miss him. Like a rock in a stream, the crowd of soldiers rippled and parted around him. It had been that way since Levi joined Survey Corps; originally, people avoided him because he was an outsider and a thug, but now they were moved by a respectful awe that Erwin thought might soon morph into full-fledged hero-worship. Levi, for his part, could not have looked more disinterested as he carried his tray back to their table.

Erwin had thought about skipping dinner after what had happened earlier in the showers. Ultimately, though, he decided his best course of action would be to act like nothing happened, because if he acted ashamed, the odds were that it would tip Levi off to the fact that there was more going on than just a simple afternoon wank. He resolved to do a better job of burying his private feelings. 

He finally tore his eyes away from Levi, who was taking a seat across from Mike, and jumped a little when he realized Hange had slipped into line right behind him.

“Hey, Erwin!” she said when he noticed her. She looked tired and a little sallow. Erwin was pretty sure she hadn’t left her office since the training exercise this morning. 

“Hey, Hange. You should think about getting out of your office more often, you aren’t looking too good.”

“Pffttt, I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.” They grabbed trays as they approached the serving station. “Are you still planning on heading into Karanese District in a couple of days?”

“I am. The Commander has given me some extra time off, so I was thinking about heading out early the day after tomorrow and staying overnight.” Hange was about to respond but was cut off by the dour-looking server, who was impatiently holding out a scoop of stew. The server slopped the meal into both of their bowls, and they each tore off a chunk of bread and turned for their table.

As they were weaving their way through the rows of tables and benches, Hange piped up from behind Erwin. “You know, Levi has the same days off as you coming up . . .”

It was obvious what she was implying; she wanted him to invite Levi along on his trip. A hundred thoughts raced through his mind in the span of his next few steps. It wasn’t a bad idea – except that Erwin instantly felt guilty over how excited the prospect of spending time alone with Levi made him. He told himself that it would be good for Levi. He’d never been to any of the major districts, so it would be a cultural experience. Plus, Erwin could use a second set of hands (and a second horse) to transport the various items Shadis had asked him to pick up for the Corps. 

More importantly, though, Erwin had been considering grooming Levi as his right hand man, and a trip to one of the larger Districts would be the perfect opportunity to take the first step towards that goal. Before today, he had done an excellent job of compartmentalizing away his baser feelings for Levi, and his professional opinion was that Levi was the perfect candidate for the job. Levi would have no compunctions whatsoever about the various unofficial activities Erwin engaged in, all of which he did for a higher, nobler purpose, but which were not strictly sanctioned by Commander Shadis. 

One last thought came to mind: why was Hange so interested in him and Levi?

Annoyed, he dismissed the last thought as irrelevant and took his seat next to Mike as Hange plopped down heavily by Levi. Levi glanced at her out of the corner of his eye in distaste. They dug into their food in companionable quiet. 

“So,” Hange continued, after a few spoonfuls of stew, “I was hoping you were still planning on going because I have a running list of items for my next experiment that I thought maybe you could pick up from Gerhard’s store for me. I happen to have the list right here if you wouldn’t mind just taking a look over it!”

Erwin took the crumpled piece of paper from her and read through it. “Hange, how can you even read your own handwriting? Is that supposed to say . . . ‘nails?’” Erwin teased, and Hange reached over the table to playfully cuff him on the arm. 

“Yes, nails! I need a LOT of nails. Really big ones I’m thinking, with a very sharp point to them. I have this theory, about how we could capture and restrain a Titan, and it’s going to involve a bunch of nails.” 

“Hange, I don’t think I can transport that many nails by myself back from Karanese.” 

“Oh no, no no no I don’t need you to get me all the nails now, I just want a few samples – like, options. Ask Gerhard what he thinks, how many he can get, price, the whole bit. I’ll figure out the details later.”

“Who’s Gerhard?” Levi asked.

“He’s a shop owner in Karanese District,” Erwin explained. “He’s also a friend of the military – Survey Corps in particular. His son was in the Training Regiment with me and Mike.”

Mike huffed. It went unspoken that their old friend was long dead. Levi averted his eyes, Erwin thought maybe out of sympathy. 

“You should come.” Erwin purposefully did not look up from his bowl as he suggested it. Something about making direct eye contact with Levi always seemed like a challenge, and Erwin wanted to appear nonchalant. 

Levi sat up stiffly in his seat, arms crossed over his chest. 

“You should go.” Mike suggested almost immediately, in between bites. Levi’s eyes flicked from Erwin to Mike, and he stuck out his chin a little, his way of inviting comment. “Karanese is a good place. Clean. You’d like it.”

Levi made a disgusted noise. “Clean?” 

“It’d be good for you to get out and see things a bit, too, Levi.” Hange seemed extremely earnest, and Erwin could see Levi soften a little around the eyes at her tone.

“You seen one shitty town, you’ve seen them all.” Levi rolled his eyes from Hange to Mike and finally back to Erwin, his lips pressed into a thin line.

“Well, I’d welcome the company,” Erwin said, finally meeting Levi’s off-putting, gray eyes. He felt an electricity run through him. It was the same every time, Levi always held his gaze for a moment longer than strictly necessary. Regular people usually looked away in discomfort, although sometimes Erwin had seen that strange nuance of his spark aggression in people, like they couldn’t resist the apparent invitation to fight. For Erwin, though, it felt more like stepping over the edge of a cliff – he never knew what was coming with Levi, what he should expect. For someone whose keenest skill was thinking three steps ahead of everyone else, those moments stirred a curiosity in him that made his whole body twitch with anticipation. 

_I have my work cut out for me if I expect to keep myself in check_ , he thought.

Levi gave a one shoulder shrug and went back to pushing chunks of stew around in his bowl. “Fine. Not like I want to hang out in this shithole for two days doing nothing.” 

~*~

Erwin woke up extra-early the morning he and Levi were due to leave for Karanese. He was anxious about the trip, and extra pushups weren’t going to do anything to help, so he headed down to the stables early to get a head-start on preparations. 

It was still dark out when Levi came walking into the stable about ten minutes later, head down, preoccupied with his own thoughts. He jerked his head up when he nearly walked right into Erwin.

“Oh, hey. Thought I was early.” He looked back and forth between his horse and Erwin’s, and grabbed his horse’s saddle off the hook near its stall. 

“You are, I was just up early. Guess I’m looking forward to the time off more than I realized.” Erwin smiled, his white teeth flashing in the darkness.

“I didn’t think you took time off. Do you even sleep in a bed, or just hunched over your desk like a loser?” 

“I sleep in a bed. Sometimes.” Levi huffed a quiet laugh, and they continued their preparations without exchanging any further words. Erwin liked the comfortable silence between him and Levi. He never felt like Levi expected anything more from him in those moments.

They were off by the time the sun was rising. It was a beautiful fall day, almost unseasonably warm, and they both abandoned their cloaks once the sun had fully risen. Erwin was conscious of every tiny movement Levi made. He passed Levi some rations, their previously agreed-upon breakfast on the road. When Levi’s fingertips brushed his, he felt stupid for noticing it.

“So,” Levi said once he’d finished his trail rations, “what’s in Karanese? Besides nails.”

“Well, Karanese is a big district. There’s a lot to see and do there, but generally I go for two reasons. Gerhard’s store has the best prices for soldiers, and you can get everything there – from Hange’s nails, to fine teas, to fresh socks.” Erwin had mentioned tea on purpose and was pleased to see Levi perk up a little at the mention of it. 

“The second reason I go is because I have people there.” He cocked his head and watched for Levi’s reaction as he let his statement hang in the air for a moment. 

Levi’s usual frown deepened slightly. “People… like, spies?”

“I prefer to call them ‘contacts.’”

Levi grunted acknowledgement. He wasn’t surprised, then, that Erwin had informants. It inexplicably pleased him. 

“I guess there’s a third reason, too.” Erwin smiled a little wistfully.

“What?” Levi sounded annoyed.

“There’s this inn I like to stay at called the Bird & Baby. They have amazing Shepherd pie.”

“What the fuck’s a Shepherd’s pie?”

Erwin described his favorite meal to Levi, who looked slightly intrigued at the prospect. Although military meals were regular and adequate, the prospect of something as delicious as Shepherd’s pie was well worth the long ride to Karanese.

“My mother used to make Shepherd’s pie for me on my birthday every year, because it was my favorite. Since she passed away five years ago, I have been getting it wherever I can find it – and so far, the Bird & Baby’s recipe is the best I’ve found.”

Levi opened his mouth and then shut it again, stopping himself from saying something. Erwin had never seen him do that before.

“What is it?”

“You never talk about your family,” he stated bluntly.

“No, I suppose I don’t really. My mother was all I had left.” 

Levi looked a little miserable. Erwin was sure he was thinking of his own family, or, at least, the people he had once considered family. He wanted to comfort him, but at the same time he didn’t want to offend his pride.

Suddenly, he thought about his father. He’d only ever told the truth about his father’s death to one person before: Nile. At the time, Erwin had stupidly trusted Nile with everything. Since their relationship had disintegrated, Erwin had had a difficult time letting anyone get that close to him. He was seized with the desire to tell Levi the story now. Maybe sharing it would distract him from his grief.

“My father died when I was a child. He was a teacher at our local school, and I was one of his students. He taught us all the important subjects – math, grammar, reading, and history.” The shadow of grief had passed quickly from Levi’s face as he listened to Erwin’s tale.

“But the history my father was compelled to teach us was a sham. One day I asked him how it was that people of a century ago who survived to live behind these walls couldn’t preserve even the smallest fragment of their prior civilization. My father told me that the history books the government supplied to all our classrooms were rife with things that made no sense. He told me he believed that somehow, everyone had had their memories wiped clean.”

Levi’s eyes were round with shock, but he didn’t respond, and Erwin pressed on. The words flowed out of him now in a confession he couldn’t stop if he tried. 

“I was young, and stupid, and I didn’t understand how that idea could spell trouble for my father. I told some of my school friends, and pretty soon the MPs came asking me about it. My father . . .” he trailed off. It was hard for him to vocalize. Even so many years later, he felt the weight of guilt on him. “My father didn’t come home. They said it was an accident, but I knew they’d had him killed. For what he told me – what he believed.”

Levi pondered Erwin’s story for a full minute before responding. “So, what? You dedicate your life to sorting out what the fuck is really going on with this world?” There was no judgment in his tone; he was simply asking.

“Yes, that’s right.” 

Levi’s lower lip jutted up and out, a subtle shift Erwin knew meant he approved of the answer. Erwin felt more contented than he had in a very long time. 

The sun was almost directly overhead by the time Karanese finally came into view. The road took a sharp turn, up and over a sharp incline it had been traversing, and suddenly the wall was there in full view before them. Levi shifted in his saddle uncomfortably. The wall cast a long shadow, and although it only made for a slight cooling of the temperature it sent a chill down Erwin’s spine.

“What about the walls?” Levi asked suddenly.

“What about them?”

“They don’t make any sense. People are too stupid to make those big ass fucking things.”

“It’s true, we do not possess the technology to build walls comparable to those that surround our civilization. I’m not sure we could ever repair them if there was a breach, or in the event they deteriorate with time. And, just as with most history dating back more than 100 years ago, there are no records concerning how they were built. The royals would have us believe they sprung whole from the ground overnight.” Some frustration seeped into Erwin’s voice. Many nights he had lain awake, obsessing over what would happen if the walls were damaged. 

“Why aren’t more people asking these questions?”

Erwin thought for a moment, wanting to give Levi a fair answer. “Many people who live behind these walls have to focus the majority of their efforts on simply eking out a living. They don’t have the time or the motivation to question. For others, religion teaches them to respect the walls as something divine.”

“Stupid assholes.”

Erwin let out a deep, rumbling laugh. He didn’t know why, but he enjoyed Levi’s bluntness more than anything else about him. Levi screwed up his mouth, obviously trying to hide his pleasure at having made Erwin laugh, but Erwin caught it and it sent a thrill through him.

A moment later, they passed through the gate to Karanese together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter started out seriously crappy, so I am just glad to have it out of the way. I think this was a little bit of necessary transition that will bring them to the "action" ( haha *shifty eyes*).


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Erwin struggles to figure out where he and Levi stand.

Once inside the gate, Erwin and Levi had to slow their horses to a walk to accommodate for the throng of people. It had turned into a beautiful fall day, and the square was humming with the activity of a hundred people. Food vendors, whose stalls lined the edge of the square, were mobbed with good-natured patrons waiting their turn to select from a wide-variety of leafy produce, freshly baked bread, and smoked meats. Children snaked in between clusters of people, shrieking as they played, and several giggling young women splashed their feet in the central fountain. 

Levi’s eyes grew rounder as he scanned the busy square. “I didn’t think it’d be so…different.” His gaze settled on a musician playing a wooden flute to a small crowd, and a pretty young girl who danced and twirled ribbons to the music. Erwin felt a fondness swell in him as he watched Levi take it in. The line of his profile was so delicate, it made him look almost angelic. Erwin thought the sun shined only for him in that moment.

_Bury that, Smith._ Erwin tore his gaze from Levi before he could look back at him, and his stray emotions give him away.

“Karanese is very different from Shinganshina,” Erwin explained as they navigated their horses around the fountain. Erwin knew that Shinganshina was Levi’s only point of reference, since it was the jumping-off point for all of Survey Corps’ recent missions outside the walls. “For one, this District’s location makes it safer, more removed from the outside world and the threat of the Titans. The people here have developed an attitude of…,” he paused, searching for the right word, “detachment from the threat.”

Levi furrowed his brow. “They’re all fucking morons, then.”

Erwin smirked and continued on, quietly. “They’re like privileged children. They don’t much understand hardship, or suffering, here. But . . .” he leaned in a little closer so he could drop his voice even more. “It serves our purposes well. You remember how the people treat us in Shinganshina?” He cocked an eyebrow, inviting Levi to respond.

“Most of ‘em are clueless assholes,” he sneered. 

Erwin nodded knowingly. After the last mission, when they’d lost so many green recruits, the crowd in Shinganshina had been particularly brutal upon their return. A group of middle-aged men had actually started a fistfight with some of the soldiers. It had clearly been motivated by grief over the loss of two local-born boys who had only just joined the Corps, and Mike and Erwin broke it up fairly quickly practically on their own, but it had frayed an already-raw nerve among the troops, Levi included. 

“Now, do you notice anything different about how we’re being treated here, at least, so far?”

Levi considered for a moment. “They’re still clueless. But they aren’t being assholes, I guess.”

“Exactly right. The people in the exterior districts revile us because they are well-acquainted with the cost of our operations. The people in the interior spend half their time debating whether our continued existence is worth spending their money on, since they’d much rather spend it on expensive seat cushions and fancy parties.”

Levi made a disgusted noise in his throat that interrupted Erwin’s explanation.

“Here, in Karanese,” he continued, “and in the other districts outside of Wall Rose, we are largely irrelevant to the people’s daily lives.” Erwin took a breath, watching again for Levi’s reaction. “That allows for a certain amount of anonymity.”

Levi cocked his head slightly, considering, as he turned and scanned the crowd again. When his eyes flicked back to Erwin, he gave a slight nod of acknowledgement. 

They were approaching the opposite edge of the square, and the smell of cooked food was making Erwin’s stomach rumble. It was still going to be several hours before they made their way to the Inn for supper and Erwin wasn’t about to pass up an opportunity for some of the best street food in the world. Without warning, he hopped off his horse and handed the reins to Levi. 

“Wait here,” he gave Levi a smile and trotted off to the closest stall. A few moments letter he was back with two large skewers of marinated lamb meat.

“Here,” Erwin handed him both skewers, then hoisted himself up onto his horse, took one back and promptly took tore off a piece with his teeth. Levi wrinkled his nose in suspicion. 

“It’s delicious, trust me.” Levi hazarded a bite, then mumbled his thanks as an afterthought. 

Erwin gave him a smile between bites, then clicked his tongue, encouraging his horse forward. Levi followed suit and they rode together leisurely out of the square and up the street. He could feel Levi’s eyes on him as they rode, but he avoided looking back at him. 

“Gerhard’s store is a bit of a ride. It’s on the opposite side of Karanese, near the gate to the interior of Rose.” 

“Whatever. It’s your trip.” Erwin could see Levi shrug out of the corner of his eye.

“Why did you ask me to come, Erwin?” 

Erwin wetted his lips. “Why are you asking me that now?”

“You’re being too fucking nice. It’s weird.”

Erwin laughed deeply. “I’m glad you think so highly of me!”

Levi harrumphed and looked away, his lips tightly pursed in annoyance.

“Hange suggested it,” Erwin answered. It was true after all, though of course it wasn’t the whole truth. “She thought you could do with getting out to see the world a bit. Plus, I needed another horse to help haul all of the shit back that Hange and Shadis asked me to buy.” 

Levi’s breathy laugh was barely audible, but Erwin heard it. When he glanced back at him again a moment later he could see the tension go out of his shoulders, and he was grateful that whatever had made him question Erwin’s intentions had passed.

~*~

Gerhard’s store was a clapboard building, set back from the main road, with a wide porch wrapping around the front. As they approached, Erwin spotted Gerhard’s grandson, a spindly-limbed boy of about 10, busily sweeping dust from the walk. When he spotted Erwin and Levi riding up towards the walkway, a huge grin split his face and he nearly bounced up and down with excitement.

“Erwin!!” he shouted as he ran towards them.

“Hello, Eli. How are you and your grandfather today?” Erwin dismounted and handed the boy the reins to his horse, gesturing to Levi to do the same.

“Oh, grandfather’s fine. His gout’s actin’ up though so he’s been complaining an awful lot today.” The boy looked back and forth between Erwin and Levi eagerly. “Have you been outside the walls lately, killing Titans?” 

Erwin recognized his tone – it was the awed reverence of a child obsessed with a romanticized vision of war and battle. Erwin remembered a time when he had surely sounded the same way. He thought of himself at that age, when he’d been fascinated by the dangers lurking outside the Walls, but completely oblivious to those closer to home. He remembered, too, the young man he had been when he’d entered Survey Corps, on fire with purpose, convinced he would save the world if no one else would. That version of himself was long gone now, washed away in a tide of blood and death, replaced by something stronger, more capable, but sharper around the edges.

Erwin rubbed the boy’s head affectionately. “Now, you know your grandfather doesn’t like me talking to you about that stuff.” 

“I’ve killed loads of Titans,” Levi chimed in from behind them, a wry smile on his face. Eli squealed with excitement.

“Oh please tell me about them! The ones you’ve killed! Were they ugly?”

“They’re fucking disgusting. The last one I killed had huge ears and a stupid smile and he smelled like he’d rolled in dog shit.”

“That’s enough of that, now,” Erwin gave Eli a light push, and the boy started off towards the other side of the yard where he usually racked-up the horses, a far-away look in his eyes. 

Erwin shook his head ruefully. Levi just shrugged and fell into step behind him as they mounted the porch steps to the store.

A little bell tingled when he pushed open the door. The sun filtered in through the windows, reflecting off the dust in the air and giving the place a warm and welcoming glow. A fat old cat that had been sleeping on the windowsill next to the counter woke up upon their arrival and sauntered off. There was some shuffling in the back room, presumably Gerhard coming to see who had walked in. Erwin stepped up to the counter to wait while Levi wandered off to peruse the store’s many wares. 

The place was absolutely packed with goods. The walls were lined with floor-to-ceiling wooden shelves that displayed a wide variety of items, from preserved fruits to sacks of grain to children’s toys. Racks in the middle of the room displayed rows of cloaks and jackets, and bins overflowed with woolen mittens and hats. At the back of the store was a small section of basic horse tack, along with simple tools and other equipment. 

Gerhard appeared at the door at the back of the shop, his impressive stature filling the door frame. 

“Erwin Smith! Damned if it’s been too long since I’ve seen you, my boy!” He walked slowly into the room, wincing a little with each step. Erwin could see his health was deteriorating; it looked laborious for him to even move around.

“It’s good to see you too, Gerhard.” The man enveloped Erwin’s hands in his own and shook them meaningfully, a warm smile splitting his bearded face. “I’ve brought someone with me I’d like you to meet.” He turned and caught Levi’s eye, waving him forward. “This is Levi. He joined Survey Corps about six months ago. You may have heard of him.”

Levi didn’t offer his hand, but Gerhard bent at the waist to grab it anyways. They looked almost comical together. Gerhard had at least 2 inches on Erwin, so next to Levi he looked like a giant. “Ah, yes, are you the one they’re calling “humanity’s strongest soldier’? You’re making quite a name for yourself in such a short time.”

This wasn’t the first time someone had brought up that nickname directly to Levi. In the past, Levi had brushed it off with a rude comment. This time though, he glanced to Erwin before answering honestly: “They do call me that. Not sure I deserve it, I’m just good at killing those fuckers.”

Gerhard laughed, a booming sound that nearly shook the windowpanes, and clapped Levi good-naturedly on the shoulder. His attitude must have been catching because Levi cracked a small smile. 

“Levi, why don’t you have a look around?” Levi nodded and went back to pacing up and down past the shelves. 

Gerhard settled himself on a stool behind the counter and pulled out his ledger and pencil. Eli had reappeared through the back door and stood at the ready to run and fetch at his grandfather’s instruction. Erwin started with Commander Shadis’ list. The man took even less time off than Erwin, so he hadn’t thought twice about picking him up whatever he needed, official or not, from the District. His list was simple enough: office supplies for himself and the Squad Leaders, general use medical supplies to replenish their home-base stock, and some personal items, including an odd brand of aftershave that he apparently favored and some fresh razors. 

Erwin had a short list of items for himself as well: a new cloak for the winter months, a fresh set of sheets for his bed, and a bottle of decent quality brandy—his one indulgence. Mike had also asked that he pick him up something to drink and, at Gerhard’s recommendation, Erwin selected a fairly sizeable bottle of grain alcohol that he thought would suit his friend’s tastes. Finally, he got to Hange’s list, and her odd request for nails. 

“Nails, huh? Well I have several varieties that might suit her. They’re in barrels at the back of the store. Grab a few of each, my boy, free of charge, as samples.” Eli led Erwin to the barrels, and he picked out three different kinds that he thought fit Hange’s description best. Gerhard took out a small sheet of paper and started scratching down numbers. “I’ll write down the pricing for each one, and you can let Hange decide what works best for her.” 

While they were sorting out the costs for various quantities of the nails, Levi returned to the counter and set down an armful of items, then turned without a word and went back to looking at the shelves. Erwin took inventory of what he had picked out – a pair of heavy woolen socks, two bars of goat’s milk soap, and four nicely hemmed white kerchiefs. Very practical.

Erwin pressed his palms flat on the counter. “Do you have any fresh tea leaves?” Predictably, Erwin could see Levi’s head jerk in his direction from across the room.

“Of course I do, what kind of store do you think I run?” Levi walked back to the counter as Gerhard pulled several sealed canisters down from the shelves behind him. Seeing Levi’s interest, he began explaining the different kinds of tea he had in stock, and allowed Levi to examine each in turn.

Ultimately, Levi picked out two types that he favored. Gerhard took a little scoop and started bagging up the tea in small brown paper bags. Once he was finished, he wrapped up the rest of Levi’s items in tissue, adding to their stack of purchases. Gerhard took a few minutes to total everything in his ledger, noting “E. Smith, Survey” next to the entry, and Erwin passed him a small bag of coin to cover it all, including Levi’s items.

Erwin took a breath. “Now, do we have other business to discuss?” 

Gerhard swallowed noticeably, then closed the curtain over the window with the flick.

“Go and lock the doors, Eli,” he instructed his grandson. Eli rushed off without question to do as he was told. Levi, meanwhile, cocked his head with curiosity at the odd turn of events. “You … intend for your colleague here to hear what I have to say?” 

“Yes, anything you have to report Levi can hear.” Gerhard let out a deep breath and nodded ponderously. 

“Very well, then. You asked me last time to keep an eye on the Wall Cult. Well, I’m afraid I’ve no good news for you. Their activities have increased significantly here in Karanese, and from what I can gather from the soldiers who pass through here it’s much the same everywhere else, particularly in the interior.”

“I suspected as much. Any sense for what’s driving their sudden increase in popularity?”

“I’m not really sure of that, but I do have some information about their teachings. There’s no way I could have passed for a legitimate convert – everyone knows me and my politics. But Eli here,” he laid his big hand on his grandson’s head proudly, “Eli has a knack for staying unseen.” Gerhard winked, and the boy gave a toothy grin. “Go and fetch the documents, boy.”

Eli ran off to the back room. Levi shifted his weight around on his feet at Erwin’s side uncomfortably. The boy returned a few moments later with a small stack of pamphlets, which he handed directly to Erwin. 

“I think once you have a read through this you’ll have a better understanding of the weight of what you’re dealing with.”

“Thank you,” Erwin said gravely as he slipped the papers into his breast pocket.

“Also, you should know that there is a group of youths – I can’t tell if they are officially connected to the Cult or are just some wannabe rabble rousers.” He waved his hands in obvious disgust. “The Cult hasn’t made an official statement one way or the other as to their activities. They’re a violent sort, though, and they’ve been harassing the townsfolk more and more lately, purporting to be enforcing the will of the Walls, whatever that means.” 

Eli looked like he was about to pipe up, but Gerhard silenced him with a stern look. Erwin, however, was nothing if not perceptive. 

“Did they come here, then?” he asked. 

Gerhard sighed. “They did. They were all bluster and foolishness, threatening me about selling to the Survey Corps. Said it was blasphemous, what you all are doing. I scared them off though.”

Erwin cocked an eyebrow at him. Gerhard was a big man, but his physical prowess was significantly lacking.

“Said I’d skin ‘em, and sell their hides for tents to the Corps. I think they might have actually believed me!”

“Grandfather, you were waving a huge knife at them!”

“Hush, my boy!” Gerhard gave him a hearty pat on the back that made Eli’s eyes bug out a little. “Anyways, don’t worry about us Erwin, we can handle ourselves. It’ll be a cold day in hell when I let myself be bullied by that lot.”

Erwin reached to shake Gerhard’s hand solemnly, their business—both official and unofficial—concluded as Levi started to gather up their packages.

“Don’t underestimate them. Whether they’re tied to the Wall Cult or not, they could be dangerous to you…and your family.” Erwin glanced meaningfully at Eli, but he could tell there was no dissuading Gerhard from his stance on the issue. People had to make their own choices, follow their own code; he was just the one to connect the dots between it all.

Eli helped them out to their horses. Levi was quiet as they tucked away their purchases.

“Eli, you be careful now. Whatever your grandfather has you do, remember that Titans aren’t the only dangerous thing in this world. Keep your wits about you.” Erwin ruffled the boy’s hair affectionately one last time, and he bounded off back towards the store.

Once the boy was out of earshot, Levi rounded on him. “I can’t believe you have that brat spying for you,” he said with venom in his voice.

Erwin responded coolly. “Gerhard spies for me – he chose to involve his grandson. This was the first I heard of it.”

“Yeah, and now that stupid fuck is going to get his grandson killed spying on those shithhead cultists. And I’m sure you think it’s all excusable, for the ‘good of humanity’ and all that shit.”

Erwin took a step closer to Levi, eyes flashing with anger. Levi glared up at him accusingly.

“It _is_ for the good of humanity! That doesn’t mean that it’s right. Don’t you understand? Someone has to do this – has to oversee this, this madness! So I take that on. I don’t expect to be sainted for it.” 

Levi’s nostrils flared, but the indignation faded from his face and he looked away. Erwin was rooted in place, angry but also desperate for Levi to understand. He wasn’t sure why he felt that way. No one else understood, nor had he ever cared before if they did.

“Shit. Sorry.” Levi ran a hand back through his hair, looking abashed.

His response was like a punch to the gut; it took the air from his lungs. They were standing very close together, and for a moment they were silent, searching for something in the reflection in each’s other eyes. 

Erwin straightened and backed away a fraction of a step. “Let’s get to the Inn. I’m hungry. And I could use a stiff drink.”

Levi turned on his heel and swung up onto his horse’s back in one swift movement, not looking Erwin’s way again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter (I think?? I hope??) and then smut! This story keeps on growing, I'm really sorry. :-p


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Erwin and Levi get settled in at the Inn and spend some time together drinking and talking. Maybe flirting. Erwin isn't sure what's going on, honestly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for some violence and blood in this chapter. I think it's pretty mild given the usual stuff in this fandom. Some mild spoilers for Chapter 69 as well regarding Levi's backstory. (UGH the FEELS!!)
> 
> Thank you all so much for your kudos and comments. <3

There was an odd tension between them on their brief ride to the Inn that Erwin couldn’t parse out. Levi’s face was a blank, disaffected mask, but when Erwin stole a glance his way he could see, just from the carry of Levi’s shoulders and the set of his jaw, some undercurrent of anxiety. 

Erwin thought perhaps Levi was still upset at the revelation that Eli had been spying for Gerhard and, by proxy, himself. He would not have chosen to put Eli in danger if he had any say it in – the risks were too high considering the payoff—but he knew there was little he would not do if, in fact, the end result was important enough. He wondered if that repulsed Levi. He supposed he deserved it if he did.

In any case, he couldn’t spend any more energy wallowing in his own guilt. Gerhard’s information had done nothing but raise more questions. When he added what he knew of the attempts to consolidate support behind the Military Police to this recent surge of activity from the Wall Cult, he couldn’t escape the nagging feeling that something was on the verge of happening. He felt like there was a piece to the puzzle he was missing. He would have to examine the literature Eli had obtained later, when they were safe behind closed doors, to see if it could shed more light on the situation. 

By the time they turned down the street that the Inn was on, Erwin’s thoughts were drifting again to his malcontented traveling companion. He chastised himself for probably the hundredth time on this trip for dwelling so long on the curve of Levi’s neck and his overwhelming desire to brush his fingertips against his lips. He shook it off, then swung down from his saddle and walked his horse by the reins as they approached the Inn’s stables. Levi followed Erwin’s lead, giving his horse’s nose a quick scratch as he guided her.

The Inn loomed into view. It had always been the largest Inn in the District, but since Erwin was a boy it had doubled in size so that it now took up nearly the entire cul-de-sac. It boasted dozens of rooms, a popular public restaurant, several outdoor ovens, and a 25 horse stable. From the activity outside Erwin knew it must have been crowded – the stable hands streamed in and out of the stable like ants, and a constant rotation of cooks and servers traversed the short distance between the ovens and the back door to the dining room. 

Erwin inhaled deeply – he could smell the fresh baked bread over the scent of the stables. If there was any place in the world that could make Erwin forget the ever-present threat of the Titans, it was the Bird and Baby Inn.

As they ambled closer to the stables, two young stable boys rushed out to take the reins to their mounts. A cleanly dressed, middle-aged man quick-stepped up to greet them. He spoke with Erwin for a few moments, arranging which bags needed to be brought inside and which needed to be stored for the night. Within a few moments the man was leading them down the path from the stables to the Inn, their rucksacks and a few other bags balanced in his arms.

The smell of food and the sound of raucous tavern music nearly overwhelmed them as they stepped inside the door. Erwin smiled broadly when he caught sight of the man behind the desk. He was barely visible behind a large book, but Erwin knew him instantly from the wayward grey eyebrows that peeked up over the edge.

The porter stepped up to the counter and cleared his throat theatrically, startling the innkeeper into looking up. The man caught sight of Erwin and gave a shout of glee, then stood, balancing on his stool precariously, to lean over the counter and embrace him.

“Erwin! So good to see you lad!” Ruediger Schloss, the owner of the Inn, was another friend to the Survey Corps, and to Erwin in particular. He was the son of his grandmother’s sister, and he had always taken a shine to him when he was young and his mother had brought them to the District to visit relatives.

“It’s good to see you, too, Rudi. It’s been too long.” He chuckled as he patted the man on the back, returning his enthusiastic hug. “How is Sarah?” His second cousin, Sarah, and he were nearly the same age. He had many fond memories of stirring up trouble around the Inn with her when they were children. She was like the sister he had never had, the Inn a second home.

“Oh fine, fine, you’ll see her in there,” he gestured vaguely at the dining room. “She’s entertaining quite the crowd tonight.”

“Do you have room for two tonight?” Rudi’s eyes looked large behind his glasses as he searched for Erwin’s unseen companion. Levi stepped forward, arms crossed over his chest, looking annoyed.

“I can’t believe this! You come to town, and what do I have to offer you? All of my fine rooms are taken!” He fretted, talking to himself under his breath, as he flipped through his ledger. 

“We don’t need fine rooms, any rooms will do.”

“Well that’s the thing; I am all out of single rooms. If it was just you I’d put you up in my own bed, my boy, but no, no that won’t do for two fine soldiers.” He flipped back and forth between two pages in his ledger, mumbling to himself under his breath. “Aha! I have a very nice family room, with two beds. I have a few like that, for when families travel with children. I’ll give you a discount for the inconvenience.”

The thought of sleeping in the same room as Levi, being near him like that, wormed its way up to the forefront of Erwin’s consciousness for a moment. He arranged his face into a blank slate and looked to Levi, wordlessly seeking his permission.

Levi let out a long-suffering sigh and rolled his eyes. “You better keep your shit on your side of the room.”

Erwin smiled, dismissing the warning bells in his head. “In that case, we’ll take it. And we don’t need a discount.” 

Rudi scratched down their names in his book and sent the porter up to their room with their things. “Will it be Shepherd’s pie for you then, my boy?”

“You remembered. Yes, for both of us please.” As Erwin turned towards the dining room, the man reached out and snagged the cuff of his shirt like lightening. He leaned over the counter again conspiratorially. 

“I have something else for you, son. I’ll make sure to get it to you.” Erwin nodded slightly, and Rudi released him just as quickly as he had grabbed him.

The dining room was large, with a vaulted ceiling and space for at least fifty patrons. Tonight it wasn’t at maximum capacity, but it was close. Most of the clientele were middle-aged locals, enjoying a meal along with the music and their company. There were a few tables pushed together towards the front of the room where a group of younger people sat drinking and talking animatedly.

His cousin, Sarah, and her husband Ian were set up in the front corner of the room on a little raised dais. There was a collection of stringed instruments, small drums and flutes arrayed behind them. 

Ian finished tuning his fiddle and gave a curt nod to Sarah, who jumped into singing a fast-paced tune.

_In the merry month of June from me home I started,_  
_Left the girls of Orvud nearly broken hearted,_  
_Saluted father dear, kissed my darling mother,_  
_Drank a pint of beer, my grief and tears to smother._

Erwin gave a smile and a wave of his hand to her as he found them a seat. Normally he would pick a spot where he could sit with his back up against a wall. Tonight, though, there were no such options, so he settled on a small table with two benches as far away from other patrons as he could find. 

A serving girl of no older than 17 appeared and set two glasses filled with amber liquid down in front of them.

“Compliments of the innkeeper.” She smiled, her pretty blue eyes assessing Erwin with open interest. She stood for a moment, swishing her skirts, and cocked her head coquettishly. Erwin smiled back politely and glanced over at Levi. If someone could die from scowling too hard, it would have been him.

“Can I get some tea?”

The girl glanced at Levi and wrinkled her nose, then hastened off. 

Erwin lifted his glass in a salute to Levi who, to his surprise, mirrored the gesture, despite the fact that he still looked sullen. They sat for a moment absorbed in their drinks, both still adjusting to the sudden din and grateful to be sitting down after a long day of traveling.

The crowd applauded when the song ended. Sarah gave a bow then rushed forward through the tables towards Erwin. He jumped out of his chair and gave her a crushing hug, lifting her off her feet. 

“You big oaf!” She slapped him playfully on the arm. “It’s been so long, don’t you know we all worry for you in between your visits?”

He tried to look sheepish and gave her a peck on the cheek. “It’s good to see you again, too, Sarah.” 

“Bah!” She waved him off with a laugh. “Who’s your friend?” She turned and smiled politely at Levi, who now looked even less agreeable than he had a few moments prior.

“This is Levi,” Erwin stated simply. Levi nodded at her but said nothing, and took a sizeable gulp of his drink.

“Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Levi.” She looked back at Erwin with a mock-grimace, as if to say, “how did you get saddled with him?,” but Erwin shrugged it off. Just then, one of the younger patrons gave a whoop and slammed his tankard on the table, eliciting cheers from his companions. Sarah rolled her eyes exaggeratedly. “If you’ll excuse me, I have to get back to it.”

After she left, Erwin gave Levi an apprising look. “What’s gotten into you all of a sudden?”

Levi snarled slightly, showing a flash of teeth. “Nothing’s gotten into me.” 

“You know, you aren’t as good a liar as you think you are,” Erwin chided him.

Levi gave a disgusted noise and sat back in his chair. 

“I’m sorry if this place isn’t to your liking. It’s just, you see, Rudi and Sarah are my last surviving relatives. They’re cousins on my mother’s side. Sarah and I practically grew up together. So, I like to stop in. I appreciate you coming.”

Levi turned and considered Sarah for a moment. If you knew to look, there was a striking resemblance between them – they had the same strong nose, the same straw-blonde hair, the same piercing blue eyes.

He turned back and blinked at Erwin. “Your cousin.” It wasn’t a question, just confirmation.

Rudi appeared with two bowls of Shepherd’s pie in his hands, and a cup of tea clutched with his pinky. He set down the tea and Levi’s bowl carefully, and with surprising subtlety pulled an envelope from his pocket with his now-free hand and slipped it under Erwin’s bowl as he placed it in front of him. He patted Erwin on the shoulder with a smile and departed without a word.

“It appears another of my contacts has come through,” Erwin said, pocketing the envelope.

~*~

An hour later, the atmosphere of the Inn had mellowed considerably. Most of the patrons had dispersed, and although Sarah and Ian still played for the remaining crowd they had transitioned from rowdy tavern songs to lighter, more melodic fare.

Levi sat sideways in his chair, twisting his nearly-empty second glass of brandy in his fingertips and watching Sarah sing with half an eye. Erwin had never seen him drink alcohol before, but apparently he had no objection to it. He also didn’t seem the least phased by it, aside from maybe being marginally less tense. 

Erwin, on the other hand, felt a pleasant heaviness settling into him. He slouched low in his chair, legs stretched out under the table. The combination of the long day, heavy meal, and brandy had him feeling slightly more sluggish than he would normally allow himself to be in public, but he was comfortable here, and safe. Plus, it would probably be the only time off he would take for another year, so he reminded himself that he should try to enjoy it.

Two MPs wandered in, a man and a woman, and Levi spun in his seat so he was facing Erwin, his back to them. “Fucking MPs. Surprised they’re out amongst the commoners. I didn’t think they could take a shit if they didn’t have a porcelain toilet to do it in.” 

Erwin pursed his lips, trying to suppress a laugh for the sake of decorum, but when he caught the glint in Levi’s eye he couldn’t hold it down. He stifled the laugh as best he could by taking another gulp of brandy.

“Why did you ask me to come here, Erwin?” Levi caught him off guard. He looked intense suddenly – Erwin hadn’t been prepared for it. 

He swallowed his drink and sat up straighter in his seat. “I already told you why. Hange suggested it, and I needed help getting everything back to base.” The explanation fell a little flat, but he didn’t care enough to dress it up to make it sound more believable.

“Don’t bullshit,” Levi said, without heat. “If there’s anything I’ve learned, it’s that Erwin Smith doesn’t do anything without five reasons and two ulterior motives.” Erwin tried to look sheepish but he knew he wasn’t doing a god job of it.

“Those are legitimate reasons, but you’re right of course – there are others. I wanted to show you around the District, introduce you to people. I thought maybe in the future, if I ever needed you to, you could come and…check in on things here for me.” 

Erwin studied Levi’s face for a reaction. Levi narrowed his eyes and shrugged a little. He didn’t respond, though, but waited for Erwin to continue. 

“Plus…” he paused, considering how best to frame it. “I hoped by spending some time together, I could get to know you better.”

Levi huffed and looked away. “You didn’t have to drag me all the way out here for that shit—we see each other every day.” A slight blush rose in Levi’s cheeks that did not escape Erwin’s notice. 

“So, does that mean you’ll talk to me, then? 

“Doesn’t seem like I have much of a choice.” Erwin knew him well enough to know that was the closest he was going to get to an enthusiastic yes. 

Erwin took a moment to think. “Where did you learn how to fight like you do?”

Levi looked thoughtfully down at his glass. “In the underground, you do what you have to do to survive.” He chewed his lower lip absentmindedly. “My mom died when I was young – I barely even remember her at all. Then, uhm, this guy took me in, took me under his wing. Sorta. Taught me how to fight with a knife, how to handle myself, how to survive, at any cost.” Levi had a far-off look in his eyes, remembering, but he brushed it off and continued. “Anyways, eventually he left and I figured shit out on my own after that. So I guess – he taught me to fight, but then I taught myself.”

He looked up and held Erwin’s gaze. There it was again – the challenge, the defiance. Erwin didn’t look away. 

“Surviving at any cost – it’s different in the underground, isn’t it?” 

Levi took a careful sip of his brandy and licked his lips, looking away. “Yeah, that’s right. Killing Titans is easy compared to that shit.” He took a breath then gently placed his glass down, spinning it with his fingertips.

“My turn to ask a question, then.” 

Erwin nodded. “I suppose that’s fair.”

“How come you don’t have a wife or, I dunno, a fuck buddy?” Erwin nearly choked on his drink. Levi never failed to surprise him.

“You’re sure I don’t?” He was stalling, but he wasn’t sure what else to say.

“Please. You’re wound so fucking tight it’s obvious you haven’t gotten laid in a century.” Levi crossed his arms and frowned. 

“That is, unfortunately, pretty close to the truth. It’s been a long time.”

“How many people have you slept with?” Again, Erwin was surprised by the boldness of the question. 

“How many people have _you_ slept with, Levi?”

“Really?” He rolled his eyes. “Don’t avoid the question. You haven’t answered either of mine yet and I answered yours.”

There was no way he was escaping answering his question without pulling rank or referring to military protocol, and there was similarly no way he was going to do that and risk completely shutting down any progress he had made in getting Levi to open up to him.

“Guess.”

“Don’t be fucking childish.” Levi looked annoyed, but determined. “Twenty,” he guessed, and Erwin laughed. “Over or under?”

“Under,” Erwin answered, shaking his head.

Levi made a surprised noise low in his throat. “Nineteen.”

“Four,” Erwin answered earnestly. Levi’s eyebrows shot up in shock. He wasn’t the slightest bit embarrassed by the number, but judging from Levi’s guesses he had held a different idea of Erwin’s past.

 _In for a penny, in for a pound, or so they say,_ he thought. He decided to elaborate.

“A girl from my school, when I was 15, was my first. She was sweet but, well, you know. I was 15.” He gave a little shrug and continued. 

“Then there was a guy I met the first year of training.” He paused a moment on the auspices of taking a sip of brandy to collect his thoughts. “Gerhard’s son, actually. That didn’t last long; we were mostly just messing around. It was long over by the time he died in the field.” Levi listened intently, all the sourness driven from his face.

“There was someone else, someone I knew for a long time, someone I cared about. We were supposed to join Survey together, but he changed his mind at the last minute. We had both been taken up with this lovely girl who worked in a tavern near the Training Corps campus. One night we, uhm, we persuaded her to sleep with us both. Anyways, he joined the MPs, and they got married, and that was that.”

Levi sat back in his seat and let out a loud breath. “Shit.”

“Yeah. Since then, I don’t know. It hasn’t been at the top of my to-do list.” Erwin felt a little raw, suddenly thinking of Nile and Marie and the whole tangle of feelings it stirred up in him. He pushed it aside, as he had countless times before. That was so long ago it hardly mattered now. They had a family. He had Survey Corps. 

“Now, you answer.” He gave Levi a smirk, challenging him.

Levi made an ugly face and mimicked Erwin’s response from earlier: “Guess.”

Erwin considered a moment. “Five?” Levi snorted derisively. “Over or under?”

“Under. Way under.” Erwin stroked his chin as he considered.

“Fifteen?”

Levi didn’t answer right away. Erwin could tell he was carefully considering what to say next. “Seventeen. No one ever more than once. And none since I left the Underground.” A faint blush rose up Levi’s neck to his ears. Erwin felt there was a lie mixed in there, but he wasn’t sure what exactly, or why.

“Seriously, though.” Any embarrassment was gone, and Levi was back to his usual sardonic self. “Plenty of people in the military are married or dating or at least fucking someone on the regular. Why not you?”

“What do you want me to say? I never met the right girl? I think it should be fairly obvious why not – being an officer in the Survey Corps isn’t exactly conducive to family life.”

“That’s your canned answer. What’s the real answer, huh?” 

Erwin took a long drink, then swirled the brandy around in the bottom of his glass. 

“I do what needs to be done. Not even Commander Shadis knows the half of it, because he doesn’t want to know, because it would be a black mark on his soul.” He put his glass down with a little more force than he meant to. The words caught in his throat like molasses, but he swallowed past it and continued, no longer able to stop his confession. 

“I don’t have a soul. Not anymore at least. I set that all aside so I can send people off to their deaths without flinching, because I hope someday the insane body count will make a difference. Not just for Survey. For humanity.” 

He closed his eyes for a moment and calmed himself with a deep breath. He looked up finally, the wave of guilt passed, and gave Levi a wry smile.

“So, you see now. Who would want a man like me?”

Levi’s expression was unreadable. Erwin looked away, suddenly feeling as if all his life were under intense scrutiny.

Before either could speak again, two patrons across the room were out of their chairs, yelling and gesticulating wildly at each other, drawing the attention of all the remaining people in the room. It was two of the younger folk from earlier – apparently, Erwin thought, they were the last ones standing from their group.

The two young men looked like they may have been related. They had the same reddish brown hair and the same angular jaw, but one was about a head taller than the other and more muscular. The smaller man had his finger pointed in the other’s face, ranting. 

Levi had turned his back to Erwin and was watching the altercation dispassionately. The MPs who were in a booth across the room looked annoyed at the prospect of having to intervene.

There was something strange about the fight, though. The argument didn’t seem like it was escalating, or really like it was about anything in particular. One of them feinted, like he was about to throw a punch, but the other one didn’t flinch. Erwin thought they looked like they were acting out a scene. 

Then he caught it: the larger of the two men glanced his and Levi’s way out of the corner of his eye.

Levi must have seen it too. As he spun back towards Erwin, his chin snapped up, eyes suddenly focused on a point behind Erwin’s right shoulder, and Erwin knew then without a doubt he was in danger. In a split second, he shot to his feet, spinning to face his attacker, right arm up, deflecting a blade. Levi lunged over the table with a shout. Distantly, he heard Sarah scream.

The room erupted in sound and movement. He was having trouble focusing all of a sudden, although he was vaguely aware of the two arguing men bolting for the door. 

He heard a loud crack and looked down to see Levi landing a heavy punch to his young assailant’s face, breaking his nose with a crunch. Levi hunched over him, holding him by the scruff of his shirt, preparing for another. The man tried to fight back, but Levi far outclassed him, and kept him pinned to the ground with his knees and thighs.

A muddled fear rose in Erwin’s mind that Levi might actually kill him if he hit him again. Erwin called his name like a command and tried to lunge forward to break them up.

His vision suddenly went fuzzy and he got a strange queasy feeling that sent him reeling backwards, stumbling into the table and landing heavily in his chair. His head swam.

He lost track of what was happening, for how long he wasn’t sure, but when he was able to focus again the first thing he registered were Levi’s steel-gray eyes.

“Erwin, Erwin, hey – that’s right, hey look at me.” Levi had his hand pressed hard on Erwin’s right shoulder. Erwin glanced at the point of contact and saw the blood staining his shirt, oozing through Levi’s fingers. He finally realized he’d been stabbed, almost to the bone, in the meat of his shoulder. The attacker had clearly been angling for his neck but Erwin had dodged the worst of it at the last second. 

“I’m OK – I’m fine.” Erwin shook his head to clear it of some of the fog. It wasn’t a life threatening injury, by any means, but it had been enough to stun him for a brief moment. 

Now that he had his wits about him again he saw that the room was mostly empty save for the MPs who were restraining the young man. Levi had punched most of the fight out of him, although he glared hatefully in their direction. Erwin nodded gratefully at Levi, and swapped his hand for Levi’s on the wound.

The female MP addressed them once they had him secured. “You two going to be alright? We’ll take this asshole in for questioning.”

Levi nodded and gestured at Erwin. “I can patch him up.” 

As the MPs manhandled the man towards the door, Rudi came rushing in looking fretful.

“Erwin! Good god son, what happened here? All of a sudden Sarah has the whole place emptying out into the courtyard and is yelling about some kid stabbing you!” He wrung his hands and stamped his feet in agitation, not sure what to do.

“I’m not sure exactly what happened, honestly, Rudi, but I’ll be fine.” Erwin gritted his teeth. 

Levi looked from Erwin to Rudi then back to Erwin’s injury. “Can you send up some extra water and cloths to our room? We’re probably gonna need them.”

Rudi assured them he would send them whatever they needed, including a bottle of brandy from his finest stock for the trouble. He offered to fetch a doctor as well, but Erwin made him promise he would not – they had already drawn far too much attention. He would rather they just deal with it themselves.

As they made their way out of the dining room and towards the stairs, Levi kept a hand hovering at Erwin’s back, prepared to assist if he lost his balance. Erwin was a little unsteady on his feet, probably more from the brandy than the wound. 

Levi leaned up and spoke softly to him as they mounted the stairs.

“You got this, old man. It’s not like they cut off your arm or some shit.”

Even now, with his arm gushing blood and his head full of brandy and spent-adrenaline, the feel of Levi so close to him sent a chill down his spine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was the first scene I thought of when I decided to write this. I had a lot of fun with Erwin and Levi playing Q&A, and I hope you enjoyed this somewhat implausible method of getting them to tell each other about their past conquests.
> 
> Also, I feel like I should credit that the Bird and Baby Inn comes from Tolkien (not sure which book exactly, but it's the name of the Inn in Michel Delving), and the song Sarah sings is "The Rocky Road to Dublin" (with the name of the town changed).


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi stitches Erwin up. He won't let Erwin avoid whatever has been growing between them any longer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lovely readers, enjoy approximately 4k words of pure smut. 
> 
> I think I should point out that this story uses the manga canon, not the anime canon. Thus, at the end of ACWNR Levi swung his sword at Erwin's neck (as opposed to his hand). I enjoyed the anime a lot, but I had the original idea for this story before Pt. 2 came out and the location of the scar from his encounter figured somewhat prominently, so I didn't want to change it!

It wasn’t long after they reached their room that a small army of staff arrived at the door, bearing two jugs of water and a big washbasin, an over-abundance of cloth bandages, and an unopened bottle of fine brandy with two glass tumblers. Erwin sat down on the edge of the bed, hand still pressed over the wound on his shoulder, while Levi busied himself taking inventory. Once he was satisfied they had everything he would need, he ushered them out of the room impatiently, leaving the two of them alone together. 

Levi rustled in his pack and retrieved his med-kit while Erwin started unbuttoning his ruined uniform shirt with his left hand. The pain from the wound wasn’t severe, but he could feel a dull ache starting to spread down to his elbow, and moving his arm made the blood flow. Levi plopped the med-kit down on the bed next to him and hastened back across the room to fetch the water and washbasin. Erwin had his shirt most of the way off by the time he returned, but was hesitating with the right sleeve. Levi took it from him wordlessly and delicately rolled the sleeve down past the wound, then bundled the shirt up in a tight ball and set it aside. He cleaned Erwin’s injury with a care that suggested he’d attended to such things before, although when that had been Erwin wasn’t exactly sure.

Erwin leaned his forehead into his palm and sighed. Selfishly, his first thought was how their trip wasn’t playing out the way he had hoped it would, but then his mind turned back to the three young men downstairs and their ridiculous attempt on his life. It made no sense to him: their distraction technique was juvenile, the execution of their plan amateur. The whole operation hinged on only one, lightly armed, untrained man. Not to mention, they were in a public space with at least a few unbiased witnesses. What purpose could such an attack possibly serve? Erwin started trying to piece it together, but he knew there was little he could do from this room, especially in this condition. 

Levi removed a needle from the med-kit and threaded it with the heavy-grade thread they used for sutures in the field. He stepped closer to Erwin, straddling his right leg so he could get closer to his injured shoulder, and got to work stitching. Erwin held his breath for a moment at the first pinch of the needle.

“I’m sorry I got you involved in all this, Levi.” 

Levi didn’t pause in his stitching and didn’t look up. “Boy, don’t you have a shit memory.”

Erwin looked up at him quizzically, but Levi didn’t answer as he continued the task at hand. His fingers were quick and precise, and within a minute he was finished. His eyes darted up to catch Erwin’s briefly as he bent to bite off the end of the thread.

He trailed his hand up from the freshly stitched up wound, lightly ghosting his fingertips over the spot where Erwin’s neck curved to his shoulder. 

“Don’t you remember? We didn’t start off on the same side. I tried to kill you, six months ago.”

“No.” Without thinking, Erwin reached up and grabbed Levi’s hand. Levi’s eyes went wide. “You didn’t know me then. You were offered an opportunity to survive and you took it. And when it really mattered, you chose not to kill me, and instead decided to stay with the Survey Corps. I think that is admirable.”

Levi swallowed hard enough that Erwin could see his throat bob. He seemed to be searching Erwin’s face for some hidden meaning.

“You…forgive me, then?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

Erwin let out a breathy laugh. “If you want forgiveness, you have it completely. But for the record, I don’t think you need it.”

At the same moment, they both suddenly realized that Erwin was absentmindedly rubbing his thumb back and forth over the top of Levi’s hand. Levi looked from the place where their hands touched back to Erwin’s face. Erwin was afraid to move and break the spell.

“Before, when I told you I’d slept with seventeen people – that was a lie. It’s…a lot more than that. I didn’t really keep track.” 

Erwin took a moment to breathe before he responded. “Why are you telling me this now?” 

Levi’s tongue flicked out to lick his lips. “I just wanted you to know.” 

“I don’t – it doesn’t affect my opinion of you, if that’s what’s concerning you. It’s a little surprising, sure. You don’t seem the kind to let that many people get close to you.”

Something rabid flashed behind Levi’s eyes and his lips pulled back in a snarl, baring his teeth. “I didn’t let them get close to me. We fucked, that was it. They didn’t know shit about me.” 

Erwin’s heart was pounding in his throat. He felt frozen in place, like he was peering over the edge of bottomless cliff.

“You know me.” The tone of his voice had softened. Erwin thought abstractly that maybe he, too, was standing at the edge of that same cliff, peering into the abyss.

“What are you saying, Levi?”

“I think you fucking know.” With a sudden ferocity, Levi reached up and cradled Erwin’s face as he leaned down to kiss him. Erwin reached up immediately and wrapped his arms around Levi’s thin waist, pulling him in closer. Levi leaned into Erwin’s arms, his lips opening to him, and he let out a little moan as their tongues slipped past each other for the first time. Erwin’s mind was racing.

_This is a disaster. You will drag him down with you, lead him to hell. What are you doing?_

The intoxicating feel of Levi’s pliant mouth almost overwhelmed any rational thought left in his mind. When Levi gave an experimental snap of his hips, grinding himself into Erwin’s embrace, Erwin broke the kiss and leaned back a fraction, a groan he couldn’t muffle escaping his lips. 

He reached up and cupped Levi’s face in his hands. “Levi – you don’t want to do this. I don’t deserve you.”

“Shut up, asshole.” Levi leaned back in to flick his tongue over Erwin’s lips, but Erwin gripped his arms and pulled him back, forcing him to look him in the eye.

“No, I mean . . .”

“I know what you mean.” Levi answered, cutting him off. “You probably have some completely fucking logical explanation for why this is a bad idea. And it is – it’s a really fucking bad idea, but I don’t give a shit. I _want_ you. If you don’t feel the same way, fine, but don’t give me some dumbass speech about being soulless or the good of humanity or some shit, not fucking now.” 

Erwin’s chest heaved. He almost didn’t let Levi finish – he yanked him close again and kissed him hungrily, ending the debate.

Levi ran his thin fingers from the waistband of Erwin’s pants up his stomach and chest, then up and over his shoulders. He rocked his hips again, and this time Erwin could clearly feel Levi’s erection through their pants. Levi nipped playfully at Erwin’s bottom lip and kept up an endless circuit with his fingers over Erwin’s chest. 

Erwin’s hands wandered from caressing Levi’s lower back to tentatively gripping at Levi’s ass. Levi ground down on Erwin’s thigh again in appreciation, emboldening him to take a firmer grip. Their kiss deepened again, sloppy and urgent.

Levi leaned back and slipped down off Erwin’s lap to kneel on the floor before him. He easily undid the remainder of Erwin’s belt and harnesses, yanking them free of his legs, and leaned in to kiss Erwin’s stomach as he unbuttoned his pants. Erwin arched into it, losing himself to the light flutter of Levi’s lips on his abdomen. He managed to raise himself off the edge of the bed just enough for Levi to yank down his pants, which were tossed aside unceremoniously. Levi snaked his hands up Erwin’s thighs and toyed with the waistband of his underwear. Finally, he pulled those down too, exposing Erwin’s fully erect cock.

“Fuck, Erwin. What the fuck am I supposed to do with this?” Erwin didn’t have a chance to respond before Levi took him as far as he could into his mouth. Erwin yelped and unintentionally bucked his hips up, jabbing his cock to the back of Levi’s throat. Levi didn’t gag, but instead circled his tongue around Erwin’s length, still keeping it as far into his mouth as he could take it. He pulled back then with a pop, and Erwin balled his hands in the bedsheets and tried not to embarrass himself by coming on the spot. 

Levi let out what Erwin assumed was a dry laugh and then started in again with his mouth and tongue. He bobbed up and down on Erwin’s cock, moaning low in his throat and sending vibrations through him that made him tremble. He seemed to be everywhere at once – one moment he was licking a stripe from base to tip of Erwin’s cock, the next he was tracing Erwin’s balls with his tongue and applying deep kisses to the place where his thighs met his torso, and then he was swallowing Erwin whole again, making him pant shamefully with want. 

Erwin felt himself losing composure embarrassingly quickly. “Levi, stop – _fuck_ – you have to stop,” Erwin gasped, twisting a hand in Levi’s hair and tugging insistently. He wanted more – he wanted _everything_ – but if Levi kept this up it would be over fast, and he would think he was pitiful as a result. 

Levi pulled off and licked his swollen lips, eyes hazy. Erwin grabbed a fistful of his shirt and dragged him up for another messy kiss. Levi leaned into it willingly, but he pushed back when Erwin started to try to manhandle him up onto the bed.

“No, _fuck_ , Erwin, you need it.” He wriggled from Erwin’s grasp and knelt in front of him again. “Plus I want you to fuck me slow, and with how keyed up you are right now you’d come right away.” Erwin groaned again as Levi swallowed him down, watching him take his cock through half-lidded eyes. 

He fucked into Levi’s mouth with greater speed now, his hand covering the back of Levi’s neck and pushing him down on it with each thrust. Spit drooled from Levi’s open mouth, his lips red and raw. Another few, hard pumps and Erwin came hard, shooting into Levi’s throat. He could feel Levi swallow and then pull back to suck at the tip, seeking out every last drop of come with his tongue.

Erwin couldn’t remember a time when he had felt so pleasured. He grinned foolishly as he petted Levi’s head, appreciative of all of the attention. He said his name over and over – _Levi, Levi, Levi_ – like he couldn’t get enough of the sound of it on his tongue. 

“Come here,” Erwin ordered, pulling Levi up to his feet. Levi obeyed now without hesitance. 

Erwin started roughly undoing his harness, methodically unclasping the many interconnected buckles and straps. When it finally fell away with a clank, Erwin put his hands on Levi’s waist and pulled him close, burying his face in his stomach and kissing him through his shirt. Levi draped his arms over Erwin’s shoulders and raked his nails down Erwin’s spine.

Erwin hastily pulled Levi’s shirt off over his head and shucked down his pants, leaving him standing between his legs in only his underwear. He leaned up and started kissing Levi slowly below his chin, down over his chest to his waistline. His hands squeezed and kneaded Levi’s ass through his underwear in a slow rhythm. 

Levi rocked and swayed in his grasp, eyes partially closed. Erwin rolled his underwear down as he reached the waistband with his kisses, mouthing at the skin stretched taught over Levi’s bony hips. 

Erwin looked up through heavy lidded eyes. “You’re perfect,” he breathed the words into Levi’s skin like a prayer. Levi let out a little moan as Erwin stood and in one fluid movement lifted him off his feet. Levi responded immediately, wrapping his legs around Erwin’s waist and opening his lips when Erwin sought out his mouth for another frantic, sloppy kiss. Erwin spun them around, enjoying the slide of Levi’s tongue against his and the feel of his hard cock rubbing urgently against his stomach, and then gently deposited Levi on the bed. 

“Flip onto your stomach for me,” he instructed breathily into Levi’s ear. Levi flipped over and, without requiring any further command, knelt up slightly so that his ass lifted into the air off the bed.

Erwin slid his hands up along Levi’s thighs and slowly slipped his underwear down. He could feel the resistance as Levi’s hard cock bent back and came loose with a pop. He reached around and gripped it tightly for a moment, giving it a few lazy strokes as he pulled Levi’s underwear all the way off. Levi groaned into the pillow, muffling the sound. 

Erwin planted a kiss on Levi’s lower back. “Don’t, please. I want to hear you.”

He trailed more kisses down Levi’s back to the mounds of his ass, kneading him with his hands as he went. Levi’s legs trembled ever-so-slightly underneath him. He spread Levi’s ass cheeks open for him and licked, from his balls up, and Levi cried out in pleasured shock. 

Erwin grinned. This was something he hadn’t done in a long, long time. As Levi bucked his cock into the mattress and moaned, Erwin suddenly remembered why he enjoyed it.

He adjusted his grip and gave another slow lick, painting Levi’s hole with broad strokes of his tongue. Levi’s breath came shallower, and Erwin could feel his muscular body clench and then relax under his palms. He twisted his tongue, flicking it back and forth, then buried his face in Levi’s ass and licked at him ruthlessly. Levi’s debauched panting and the way his body writhed in pleasure under his touch had Erwin’s cock growing stiff again. 

Erwin was afraid he would run out of patience, so he kneeled up and tried to calm himself with deep breaths as he rubbed a finger gently over Levi’s hole. Levi hummed through closed lips and wiggled his ass. Suddenly Erwin came to the crushing realization that this was about to take a turn for the worse – he had nothing beside his own spit for lubricant, and he knew from (unfortunate) experience that he would tear Levi apart if he couldn’t come up with something better.

Levi seemed to read his mind. “I have some oil in the front pocket of my pack.” 

Erwin hastened to find it, thrilled that at least one of them was prepared, although he couldn’t help teasing him a little. “Do you bring this everywhere with you?”

Levi made a disgusted noise as Erwin rejoined him on the bed. “No, I was hoping I’d get lucky.”

Erwin wasn’t sure if he was being sarcastic or serious, but he didn’t care either way. He dripped some of the oil onto his fingers and rubbed them together, warming it up, then spilled some into the cleft of Levi’s ass. Levi inhaled sharply as Erwin caught the oil before it dripped off him onto the sheets, dragging his finger up from the base of his cock to his hole. He kept massaging him, over and over, waiting for him to relax.

“Stick one in already, fuck.”

Erwin shook his head in amusement, but he wasn’t going to ignore Levi’s direct command. He pressed the tip of his index finger in gently, feeling the ring of muscle open around him. Levi let out a long groan as Erwin pushed it in slowly, all the way to the knuckle. 

He stilled and let Levi adjust. When he heard Levi exhale, he started to stretch him open, twisting and thrusting his finger with increasing intensity. With his free hand, he rubbed Levi’s balls, eliciting another long, choked moan.

After a few minutes Levi started to thrust back against him, and Erwin added another finger. Erwin kissed and nipped at Levi’s ass as he made a scissoring motion inside of him, slowly working him open. 

“Can you take a third?” 

Levi looked back, his eyes cloudy. Erwin leaned up, keeping his fingers buried in him, and kissed him over his shoulder, giving him a moment to come back to himself.

“Erwin, _please_ , give it to me.” Levi whined, pushing back hard on Erwin’s hand. Erwin still had enough sense to know Levi needed more preparation before he could take his cock, so he fumbled for the vial of oil and dripped some more onto his fingers as he added a third finger.

Levi was babbling, begging in vague terms, _please, please give me it please_ , drawing out the syllables of Erwin’s name as Erwin rocked his hand into him slowly. Erwin thought he could come again just from hearing the sound of his name on Levi’s lips. He removed his fingers and poured a generous amount of oil onto his cock as he wiped his hand on the sheets.

“Gross.”

“Sorry.” Erwin lined himself up and rubbed the tip of his cock over Levi’s hole.

“ _Fuck_ , shit, god, stick that fat cock in me.”

Sweat beaded on Erwin’s brow as he pushed in, slow and steady. Levi gasped and threw his head up off the pillow, gripping the sheets in tight fists and hissing through clenched teeth. Erwin gave a few shallow thrusts, in and out gently, until Levi tossed his head back in what Erwin took as permission to continue.

His right arm throbbed, not exactly painful, but exhausted from the effort of finger-fucking Levi, and he remembered suddenly that he probably should be favoring it to avoid popping the stitches. He gripped Levi’s shoulder with his left hand and let his right arm hang loosely at his side, then slowly pulled Levi back onto his cock as he pushed forward with his hips. Levi’s mouth hung open, breathless, as Erwin bottomed out. Erwin stilled, both so Levi could adjust and he could grab onto a thread of composure. He felt Levi tremble involuntarily beneath him.

“Shit, Erwin, you’re gonna ruin me for anyone else.” His voice was wrecked. Erwin ran his hand soothingly over Levi’s back, then slipped it underneath him and hauled Levi up so that he was kneeling up straight, back bowed. He wrapped his hand around Levi’s neck and gently pulled his head back to his chest so he could lean down and whisper raggedly in his ear.

“Maybe that’s what I want – I want you all to myself. _Mine._ ” He let go of his neck and gripped Levi’s cock, then gave it a long, slow pull. Levi made a strangled noise and met Erwin’s mouth for a wet kiss. 

Finally, Erwin started to move, thrusting up into Levi slowly at first. He let Levi fall back down to the bed and gripped his waist with his left hand tightly, picking up the pace. He continued steadily, pulling back so Levi could feel every inch as he pounded into him.

Erwin could feel himself getting close. He slowed and gave a few more thrusts before pulling out.

“Flip over. I want to see your face.”

Erwin almost lost it when he got a good look at him – his lips were kiss-swollen and red, his face flushed, his cock straining and leaving spots of pre-come on his abdomen. Erwin ran a finger over the head of Levi’s cock and smoothed out the pre-come beading there, then licked it off his fingers. 

Levi reached a hand up and tugged at Erwin’s arm to draw him down to him. Erwin slid his knees out and braced himself with his left hand as he lay over Levi and guided his cock back in with an easy glide. Levi grunted as he wrapped his arms around Erwin’s neck, then reached out with parted lips for Erwin’s mouth. Erwin sunk down onto Levi and picked up where he had left off before, ruthlessly snapping his hips, fucking him deeply. Levi kissed him hungrily, his tongue roaming in his mouth, searching out the taste of his own pre-come.

Erwin wrapped his right hand around Levi’s cock once more, now slick with a mix of spit and oil and his own fluids, and jerked him off in time with his thrusts. Levi’s head fell back on the pillow, eyes closed, mouth hanging open. 

Levi bit his own lip and closed his eyes as he clenched around Erwin’s cock and came. Erwin slowed his thrusting slightly and pulled Levi’s cock in slow, languid strokes, wringing every drop of come from him. It shot onto both their stomachs and all over Erwin’s hand, making a mess of them. 

Erwin uncurled his hand from around Levi’s cock and shifted to brace himself on the bed frame. When Levi at last opened his eyes, the look of adoration he gave Erwin made Erwin’s heart beat hard in his chest. No one had ever quite looked at him like that before.

Levi rubbed a hand up Erwin’s chest and touched the spot on his neck that still bore a faint scar from his blade. “Come for me.”

Erwin leaned down and rested his forehead against Levi’s, then resumed his pace from before. It was over quick – his hips jerked in an off-beat momentum as he came hard only moments later. As he spurted for the last time, he opened eyes he hadn’t realized he had closed and saw Levi staring back at him, that same soft look on his face.

They stayed locked like that for a moment as Erwin’s breathing steadied. He pulled out slowly, making them both gasp through their teeth, and collapsed off to the side. He left his arm slung over Levi’s chest, loathe to break contact. 

Levi laid there with him for a minute, their chests heaving in unison, but then he shot out of bed and across the room. Erwin followed him with his eyes, worried suddenly he had done something to upset him.

Levi dipped one of the cloth bandages in water and cleaned the come off his stomach, then grabbed another, clean bandage and returned to the bed, sitting cross-legged by Erwin’s head. Without warning, he started wrapping Erwin’s injured arm.

“The whole time I thought you were gonna pop your stitches.” Erwin smiled at him and let him attend to him with gentle hands. 

“I’m sure we just broke ten dumbass military regulations.” Levi was looking down, his face hidden shyly behind the fall of his hair.

“If you haven’t noticed, I’m really not that much of a rules guy.” Levi snorted a short laugh in response. Erwin reached out and tentatively cupped Levi’s cheek with his hand. “It might be insane, or selfish, or doomed, but I want you, Levi.”

“You just had me,” Levi pointed out.

“You know what I mean.”

Levi hesitated a second, then caught Erwin’s gaze. “Yeah. Same here.”

Levi got up again and slipped on his boxers.

“Clean yourself up, you’re disgusting and I don’t want to sleep next to you like that.”

Erwin grinned and jumped up to comply.

~*~

Erwin awoke to an emphatic knocking at the door. His legs were tangled in Levi’s, arms draped over his side. By the time he realized what was going on, his eyes had adjusted enough to the dim morning light that he could see Levi was awake as well. They both shifted, and Erwin stood and slipped on his trousers. Levi rolled off the other side of the bed and gave his clothes a quick shove with his foot towards the other, unused bed, then flipped the covers down and climbed inside.

When he felt satisfied that they had sufficiently obscured any evidence of the previous night, he moved to the door.

“Who is it,” he said, hand on the doorknob.

“Erwin! It’s me, your cousin!” It was Ruediger, and he sounded upset. Erwin opened the door.

“What’s going on?”

“You’d better come down to the stables, my boy. It’s to do with your horses.”

Erwin could sense Levi sit up in bed behind him, alert.

“They’ve both been – they’re both…dead.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My original tale pretty much ended with an epilogue following this scene, but I have decided to keep going! Next chapter might take a little bit longer than this one because I am working out the plot. Thank you for following and for all the kudos and comments!! <3<3 You guys are awesome!
> 
> Also I welcome flailing about these two idiots here or on tumblr (same username). :)


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As if getting stabbed wasn't bad enough, Erwin now must unravel what happened to their horses - and he has a feeling the two crimes are connected. He doesn't realize how far the people responsible are willing to go until it's too late.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah. Here the story takes a turn for the dramatic. Thank you so much for reading, and I hope you like what I have in store! Warnings for blood/gore and death in this chapter.

Erwin’s first question, naturally, was what had happened to their horses.  Ruediger wrung his hands and stammered out an attempt at an explanation, but finally gave up with an exasperated sigh. 

“It’s better if you just come—the stable master will tell you what he can.  I don’t understand it, son, but you always had a nose for sorting these sorts of things out.”

Behind them, Erwin could tell that Levi had skillfully pulled on his pants under the covers and was making a decent show of getting out of the unslept-in bed.  Erwin let the subject drop and went to rummage in his rucksack for a new shirt and a pair of socks.  In truth, he hoped Rudi was too distressed to take careful note of the state of the room, because he was sure their cursory attempts at hiding the evidence of the night before wouldn’t stand up to close scrutiny.  Erwin trusted Rudi – there was no threat to their military careers for breaking fraternization rules – but he wasn’t prepared for endless cajoling from Sarah, whom Rudi would inevitably tell if he suspected something had gone on between them. 

“How’s your arm, son?” Ruediger asked, anxiously changing the subject.  Erwin’s stopped buttoning his new shirt for a half-second, but resisted the urge to touch the bandaged spot through his sleeve.

 “It’s alright.  Sore, but I’m sure it will heal.  Levi took care of me.” Erwin caught Levi’s eyes for a moment. Levi shrugged and turned his face away, thin fingers pulling his harness strap tight across his chest.  Erwin smiled despite the fact that Levi wasn’t looking.

Rudi’s mothy eyebrows twitched in anger.  “Well, later today I’m going to make sure that spoiled brat learns a lesson. Come into my establishment and stab my kin, I swear…”

Erwin interrupted him before he could work himself up into a frenzy again. “Do you know the man that stabbed me?”

Rudi sneered and looked like he would have spit if they hadn’t been standing in one of his rooms. “Bolton Cheever.  He’s the youngest son of a merchant that’s fallen on bad times these past few years.  Used to be he was just your typical young asshole, smart-mouthed, always getting up in people’s faces demanding their respect just because he’s got a recognizable last name. Bah!”

Levi finished dressing as Ruediger described Erwin’s assailant. Without a word, he walked over and started assisting Erwin strap into the remainder of his harness.

“Why would someone like that try to kill Erwin in such a public place?” he asked, as he looped a strap over Erwin’s injured arm.  “Does he have a death wish, or is he really just that much of an arrogant prick?”

Erwin’s arm was considerably more tender than he had anticipated, and he welcomed Levi’s help, but it was just a little bit distracting having him stand so close.  

_Inconvenient,_ he thought.  He had assumed that the lust would have died down after last night; apparently, it was the exact opposite.

Ruedigar, oblivious to Erwin’s inner turmoil, continued on with a scowl.  “I’m not sure. For all that him and his little band of followers were a nuisance, they were never violent, at least, not until a couple of months ago.  Why, just last week Cheever and a few others were jailed for overturning a cart full of supplies in the middle of the street, so how any of them came to be sitting in my Inn last night drinking instead of sitting their asses in prison is beyond my understanding.”

Erwin held his breath as Levi finished with his harness, his hands lingering for just a fraction of a second longer than was strictly necessary.  Once they were finally all set, Rudi turned and led them out of their room into the still-dark hallway and down the stairs.

Although the sun was not yet up, the smell of fresh baked bread already filled the air inside the Inn.  Rudi brought them outside through an employee entrance in the back, navigating his way through a crowd of busy kitchen staff. Outside the door, the porter from the day before was looking over a delivery and clearly giving the wagon driver a hard time about something.  Rudi brushed by him without pausing, intent on the stable ahead.

Although there were a fair number of stable hands carrying fresh hay and feed back and forth into the stable, it was eerily quiet – much quieter than Erwin ever remembered it being, from those times he had milled about the Inn aimlessly when he was young.  A strapping, middle-aged man with curly auburn hair directed the workers with gestures and grunts; Erwin guessed, by the look of him, that he was the stable master.  The workers averted their eyes and scuttled away as they approached the man, leaving the four of them alone in the stable’s open entrance.

“James, these are the men.  I’ll have you show them to the … uh, to the scene.”  The stable master’s nose flared as he surveyed Erwin and Levi. 

“Sirs,” he said, with a grave nod of his head. “I’m sure my employer here has already told you the unfortunate news about your horses.”  Erwin thought he had the air of someone who spoke little and was used to being obeyed, although, despite his demeanor he didn’t seem unfriendly. 

“Do you have any idea what happened to them?”

The stable master raised an eyebrow and glanced back at his employer, clearly a little surprised that he had been delegated the task of explanation.  “Oh, yes. They bled to death.”

Erwin wasn’t overly surprised.  He had suspected, of course, that the death of their horses hadn’t been random or accidental, and this new piece of information simply confirmed that.

 “Show us to them, then,” Erwin instructed.  The stable master led them down a long row of stalls, lit by lanterns that threw long shadows on the dirt floor, and around a corner.  Stable hands who had been busy mucking stalls and watering the other horses stood at attention like soldiers as they passed.

Erwin could tell from ten paces away where their horses lie dead in their stalls. Twin bloodstains reached out into the middle of the aisle, glistening wetly in the lantern-light.  Erwin slowed his steps as he came into view of the first stall, Levi close on his heels.

It was his horse, Charade. Erwin ducked under the thick piece of rope that gated off the stall and moved slowly closer to her.  At first he had the hopeful thought that she was just asleep, but as he got closer he could in the way that she leaned heavily against the wall of her stall, her tongue lolling, that she was dead.  Levi let out a surprised huff of breath behind him, then continued on to the next stall.

Erwin examined her from head to foot, searching for an explanation in her hide.  Her two front legs were covered in dried blood from a dozen slash marks. From the looks of the disturbed hay in her stall she had put up a fight, probably stamping and bucking in the limited space she had as her murderers wore her stamina down.  From neck to loins she was covered in another dozen cuts and several gruesome stab-wounds that clearly accounted for the puddle of blood snaking its way out of the stall.

Erwin leaned his hands against her muscular neck and stared at the wall, fighting back the rage.  Charade had been with him for five years.  She was one of the fastest horses in the regiment, excellent at quick avoidance maneuvers and with an affectionate disposition to boot.  She’d extracted him from danger countless times, on several occasions when Erwin hadn’t even had a chance to whistle for her before the danger was upon him.  He’d spent long hours training her for stamina and mobility, and on nights when he couldn’t sleep he would visit her in the stable and brush her as he puzzled out his newest plan or mystery or strategy.  He knew he would feel her absence acutely in the coming months and years, and wondered if the people who did this understood the depth of their crime.

Erwin felt more than heard Levi appear behind him. He straightened up, rage giving way to focus.    

“Can I use your knife?”  he asked.  Levi uncrossed his arms and pulled the small blade from its hidden sheath on his wrist, offering it to him. 

Erwin lopped off a chunk of Charade’s mane and slipped it into his jacket pocket.  It was part of Survey Corps tradition to bring back a fallen horse’s mane for burial whenever possible. It rarely happened, though, since it was usually imprudent to collect their mane when they died outside the walls, if there was even anything recognizable left of them to begin with. 

Erwin flipped the knife in his hand and offered the handle back to Levi. Levi took it from him, then disappeared into the other stall, returning a moment later with his own lock of horse hair. 

Erwin took one last look at her. He had the sudden thought that it would have been better had their horses died a quick death in the field, crushed underfoot by a Titan like so many of their four-legged comrades, and not killed by this special kind of barbarism perpetrated not by monsters but by human beings.

He bundled up all the emotions – the hurt, the anger, the confusion – and left it behind him with his horse, a neat package tied up with a bow.  That was always the way he handled these sorts of things; the only way he knew how to survive the ever-present death and hopelessness.  Move forward. Think. Act, don’t react. Years of discipline had helped him acquire the mental fortitude necessary to handle the most grotesque and horrific scenarios without flinching.  He would need to put those skills to good use now.

He walked over to where Rudi and James stood together, both looking ill at ease and angry.

“When were they found like this?” he asked James matter-of-factly.

 “It’s probably been a half hour, maybe a little more.”

“And was there anyone here, watching the stable, overnight?”

 “Overnight it’s just the general security guards who keep an eye on things, but Rudi tells me last night they were down a man so I suppose whoever did this snuck in sometime when they weren’t watching.  My morning shift arrives at 4 o’clock.  The stable hand who found them let out a yelp, and I came running. They looked…slightly fresher.” He grimaced involuntarily.

“Anyways, I sent someone to fetch Ruediger, so he came down and saw them and knew right away they were your horses. He marched off to find you, and here we are.”

Rudi’s eyebrow twitched.  He looked to Erwin and gave him a slight nod, indicating without words he thought the stable master’s information was accurate and that he could be trusted.

“I’d like to speak with the one who first found them.” James shook his head in agreement, then walked off , ostensibly to bring him back for questioning.

Erwin pursed his lips and started to pace as he turned the events of last night and this morning over in his mind. It wasn’t that difficult for him to deduce that their horses had died in retaliation for them besting Erwin’s attempted murderer.  Really, it was Levi that had bested them, completely dominating Bolton Cheever, in front of at least two members of his bottom-feeding band of thugs.  It was thus more than likely that those two young men, perhaps more since they’d had time to seek out reinforcements, had killed their horses.  What wasn’t immediately apparent, however, was their motive—although Erwin thought he had a pretty good idea about that as well.  They fit the general description Gerhard had provided them the day before when they had visited his store, of the people who had been giving him trouble about selling his wares to Survey Corps. 

_Wall cultists._

Or at least, that was Erwin’s theory.  He wasn’t usually wrong, though.

He turned and caught Levi’s eye.  Erwin realized he had been watching him as he paced, but unlike times before, Levi didn’t look away to try hide it.

“Do you remember the way to Gerhard’s store?”

Levi was quiet for a moment, contemplating.  “I think I could manage it.”

“Good. Go there and check in on him. I’ll come join you after I’m done here.”  Levi didn’t ask for more of an explanation.  He turned on his heel and started away, but stopped suddenly and looked back at Erwin after a few steps.  

“Try not to get your ass handed to you while I’m gone.”  Erwin huffed a short laugh as Levi turned and continued out the way they’d come in, ignoring everyone that crossed his path.

As he disappeared around the corner, James reappeared, a small boy in tow who couldn’t have been more than eleven or twelve years old.  He kept his eyes on the floor, half his face hidden behind mousy brown hair.  The stable master pushed him forwards towards Erwin with a heavy hand. 

Up close, Erwin could see more of his face, and although he was still avoiding looking up he could tell from the wet sheen on his cheeks and his runny nose that he had been crying.  Erwin crouched down and got close enough so the boy could see his face.

“My name is Erwin.  One of these horses was mine, and I’m trying to figure out who did this to her.”

He waited a moment, but the boy gave little indication that he had heard.

“May I ask you a few questions?”

The boy sniffed and kept his eyes downcast, but nodded his head obediently.

“Did you see anyone leaving the stable when you arrived this morning?”

The boy started to shake visibly and shook his head no. Erwin felt that he was already on to something. He just had to ask the right question.

“Did you see who did this to the horses?”

The boy jerked his head away, his lower lip quivering as he shook his head slowly no.

“Did the people who did this say they’d hurt you if you told anyone about them?”

The boy looked at Erwin then in wide-eyed surprise.

_Got it._

Erwin saw James and Rudi exchange surprised looks of their own over the top of the boys head.

“I’m not going to let anything bad happen to you.  Neither will Ruediger, or James.  I want to catch them, so that they can’t hurt anyone or anything again, and it would be a lot easier if you could tell me everything you saw and heard.”

Erwin’s words and demeanor had the desired effect – the boy nearly melted from dealing with the anxiety of what had happened to him, and started giving Erwin details in dribs and drabs.  There were three assailants – Erwin determined from the boy’s description that two of them were the young men who had caused the distraction the night before, and the third was someone he hadn’t encountered yet, who the boy could only describe as “huge” and “scary” despite all of Erwin’s attempts to get more information about him.  

It took ten long minutes for Erwin to extract all the useful information from his young witness. With some encouragement from James, the boy explained that he had been headed for the back of the stable to grab his bucket for his morning chores when he had been tackled to the ground before he even realized what was going on.  It sounded to Erwin like the smallest of the three had been serving as look out and had pounced on him as soon as he had rounded the corner.  After some additional pointed questions, the boy explained why he was so tight-lipped at first: the huge, scary man had stabbed Erwin’s horse in the neck several times after she had collapsed to the ground, then had held the bloody knife up to the boy’s eye for a very long time, threatening him.

“We’re not going to let anything happen to you,” he reiterated, giving his arm a squeeze.  The boy nodded and ran a sleeve over his runny nose. 

James put a hand on the boy’s shoulder.  “I think I’m going to walk this one back home to his parents,” he said.  Rudi gave the boy a pat on the head and promised him an apple pie all to himself the next time he came in for work, which managed to elicit a smile.

Erwin turned to Rudi after James led the boy away. “You’ll dispose of the bodies?”

“Yes, of course.”  Erwin started to leave, but Rudi grabbed at his arm gently. “My boy, I’m so sorry for all this trouble.  I’m afraid Karanese isn’t the way it once was.  I hope…well I just wouldn’t want all this…” he trailed off, sadness welling up in him.

Erwin turned to face him squarely.  “You and Sarah are my only family. Nothing that’s happened or that could happen would keep me away from here.  I don’t have a lot of free time, but when I do – you’ll see me again, don’t worry.”

Rudi smiled a melancholy smile.  “Ah, you know, you remind me so much of your mother sometimes. She’d be so proud of you.”

Erwin felt his chest tighten.  He had spent his whole life in dedication to the legacy of his parents – not only to his father’s theories about the Titans and the walls, but also to the memory of his mother, who had always given selflessly to those less fortunate.  Even so, he wasn’t sure that she would have approved of his rigid adherence to the greater good, and the sacrificing of so many in the process.  He thought about the child he had just interrogated and a wave of self-loathing hit him hard in his gut.

Erwin and Ruediger turned and walked slowly together out of the stable, the specter of his mother heavy on both their minds.  As they reached the entrance, the cool morning air snapped Erwin back to the present.

“My instinct tells me those men weren’t serious when they threatened the boy – but I don’t know enough about them yet to be completely sure.  You should send a few good people to watch his house until this is over, just in case.”

Rudi grunted his agreement. “I will.  And when you need one, I can loan you my horse to get back. She’s no Survey Corps purebred, but she’s a solid old girl and she can go for hours without a break.”

Before Erwin could thank him, a woman nearby let out a loud shriek.

“Look! Smoke!”

Erwin’s head snapped up. He spun around, searching the skies.  In the distance, certainly within the wall of the District, he saw a thick column of smoke rising.

_Titans?_

No, realized in the next moment.  That was not the smoke of a dead Titan.

Suddenly, Erwin realized the direction it was coming from.

“I have to go,” he said abruptly to Rudi, and took off running down the street towards Gerhard’s store.

~*~

Erwin ran as fast as he could, lungs near to bursting with the exertion.  His arm started to throb, which sent his shoulder and neck into a spasm, but he didn’t slow his pace as he headed for the source of the smoke.  He cursed the fact that he was both without his horse and his gear.

The store was unrecognizable when he arrived, completely engulfed in yellow-red flames.  The fire patrol had obviously just arrived with their unwieldy, hand-powered water pump and were beginning to set up a bucket brigade to attempt to douse the blaze.  Clusters of wary neighbors and passerby gathered at a distance, muttering amongst themselves nervously.

Erwin looked around frantically for signs of Levi but couldn’t spot him anywhere.  For that matter, neither did he see Gerhard or Eli.  If they weren’t inside, then why weren’t they somewhere out here, watching? He pushed down the panic that was rising in his belly, ignoring the logical voice inside that told him something was very, very wrong.

He ran forward towards the building, intending to at least shout for them, but he couldn’t get close enough before the heat had him shielding his eyes and retreating. 

From the far end of the building, he caught sight of a petite blonde-haired woman in a Military Police uniform walking towards him purposefully.  She stepped firmly, head held high, and as she got closer Erwin could see she was appraising him with sharp, crystal green eyes.  He could tell right away there was something off about her; he had the distinct impression she seemed smug, though he couldn’t imagine why.

“If you’re looking for another Survey Corps soldier, you should know he’s been taken into custody,” she said curtly.

Erwin didn’t let his face give away his surprise.  “Into custody?”

“For arson,” she gestured at the building behind them. “And for the murder of the shopkeeper.”

Erwin felt his stomach drop.

“Where have they taken him?”

“The MPs have a temporary outpost near the gate to Rose. You can inquire about him further there, if you like.”

If he hadn’t been Erwin Smith he would have missed it, given the shock and the grief, but as it was he was almost never caught flat-footed. The woman’s lips quivered at the edges, twitching up into a smile, before she turned and marched away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My intention is to keep this canon-compliant, to the extent that this story could fit in to the timeline between the end of ACWNR and the beginning of the manga. So you know, there will be some angst, but ultimately our eruris will be fine. (Or, you know, as fine as they can be.)


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Erwin tries to get Levi out of MP custody.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again to everyone leaving comments and kudos. <3 This chapter took me a while because I wanted to get the tone just right. I hope you enjoy!

Flames licked out of the windows of the store, reaching in tendrils towards the clear blue sky.  With a loud _whoomph_ the roof collapsed and released a cloud of fiery sparks into the air that made the crowd of townspeople gasp.  The bucket brigade moved back towards the road; there was nothing more they could reasonably expect to do.

Erwin felt like he was rooted in place.  Oddly, he found himself thinking of all the ruined goods inside – the bottles of fine liquor shattered by falling timbers; bars of soap bubbling and melting away in the heat; socks, like the ones he’d purchased for Levi just yesterday, fuel for the flames.  Was Gerhard’s body inside as well? Erwin thought he would probably prefer it that way; like a sailor from one of his father’s strange books, going down with his ship.

The first time he had visited the store had been with Gerhard’s son, Willum, on a break from their second year of training.  The three of them stood around, swapping stories and making each other laugh for so long that Gerhard’s gout had flared up, and they had to help him up the stairs into his bed at the end of the night.  Another time, years later, Erwin had gone to see him, his son’s Survey Corps patch heavy in his hands.  That time, it had been Gerhard who had to help Erwin up the stairs, drunk on brandy and too miserable to stand up straight.

Standing in front of the store now, like this – it was like he was a young boy again, unable to tear his eyes off his own father’s gravestone, overcome with guilt and remorse.

All of that had been before Eli lived with Gerhard.  Eli’s mother, Willum’s younger sister, had died in childbirth the year after Willum’s death.  Having no father to claim him, he was sent to live with Gerhard as a newborn.  By then, Erwin had already locked away, bit by bit, the parts of himself that longed for a future that involved a family, but the first time he had met the boy and cradled him in his arms, he couldn’t help thinking – I could do this, be a father, raise a child.  It gave him hope.

He clenched his fists in impotent rage. How had he failed to grasp the gravity of the present situation so magnificently?  He hadn’t even been bothered to review the intelligence Eli had collected for him, figuring it could wait until he was done with his leave. It was pure arrogance.  He had assumed that he was untouchable, the people he cared about safe and protected.   

_Levi._

Erwin couldn’t imagine Levi peacefully submitting to arrest for a crime he didn’t commit. He was certain it was exactly the opposite, in fact.  The only way they could have taken him in was if he had been unable to fight.  He felt a sudden stab of ice in his heart.

With that thought, it seemed, the store heaved its final, dying breath: the remaining walls collapsed in a cascade of flaming timber.

Erwin turned and left it behind.  Right now, he had to attend to the living.

~*~

Finding the MP’s temporary headquarters wasn’t difficult.  He stopped a half-block away and ducked into an alley when he spotted a soldier with the unicorn patch standing guard outside the door of an otherwise unremarkable two-story stone building.  He waited and watched for a few minutes, hidden from view, but no one went in or out, and the only person he saw was the guard. 

He thought about the knowing smirk of the soldier who had told him Levi had been arrested and had the obvious feeling that he was walking into some sort of a trap.  What other option did he have, though? He supposed he could wait, watch the place for a while, assess their numbers so he could go in with more of a plan, but he wasn’t feeling particularly patient.  In any case, he doubted there were more than a handful of MPs inside. So far, he thought, he wasn’t all that concerned, as he watched the guard yawn and lean heavily against the doorframe.

Erwin stepped out of the alley and marched down the street, straight-backed and exuding authority.  The guard saw him coming at the last minute and hastily stood at attention in front of the door.  Erwin stopped directly in front of him and opened his mouth to speak, but stopped short when he got a closer look at the soldier.  For one, he was clearly unkempt, like he hadn’t had a shower in a week or more and had been sleeping in his uniform, but what really took him aback was the man’s eyes.  They were wide and dark, swallowing the light, and the line between black pupil and green iris trembled noticeably.    

It was unsettling, but Erwin collected himself in the span of a breath. “Who’s in charge here? I need to speak with them immediately.”

Despite his strange physical appearance, the young man seemed alert and capable.  “Captain Banners is in charge.  Are you here about the soldier we just brought in?”

“I am.” Erwin scrutinized him carefully; he realized he probably seemed menacing, but he hoped he could glean something from him if he felt like he was under pressure.

It seemed like it had the exact opposite effect.  The soldier went a little stiff all of a sudden, and his pupils fluttered strangely in his eyes.  “Major Floren told me I should let you in right away if you came,” he intoned mechanically as he turned and opened the door.

Erwin gave him one last, assessing look, but finding nothing more, stepped into the building.

It was claustrophobic inside, the air stale.  It had clearly once been a private residence, probably of a fairly well-to-do family, but also just as clearly had been abandoned for some time.  As far as Erwin could tell, all the curtains in the bottom level were drawn, and a thick layer of dust blanketed the furniture, giving proof to the fact that these MPs hadn’t been here long. 

To the right of the door was a large sitting room crowded with cushioned chairs and a small couch.  A middle-aged, greasy haired man sat behind a long desk at the far end, head down, pen scratching furiously in the low light.  As Erwin approached, the man set down his work and looked up at him appraisingly.

“Captain Banners? Squad Leader Erwin Smith,” he said with a quick salute.  The Captain gave Erwin a once over with his eyes.  He didn’t try to hide his frown when he saw the Wings of Freedom on his breast pocket.

“What brings a member of Survey Corps here to Karanese District?” he asked sharply.

“I’m here on a brief leave. I was traveling with another Survey Corps soldier, Corporal Levi, whom I believe you currently have in your custody.” 

The Captain tipped his head up so he could look down his nose at Erwin. “The man who murdered the shopkeeper and set his store on fire?”

“Sir, I believe there’s been a mistake – the Corporal isn’t guilty of those crimes.  I can vouch for him. Additionally, I believe I have a good lead on the individuals that were actually involved, as well as a potential motive.”

A small clatter drew their attention to the swinging door to the right of the desk. It was the soldier from before, carrying a little tray with a teapot and cup.  She didn’t acknowledge Erwin, but placed the tray in front of the Captain and poured a cup for him.  The Captain’s hard demeanor seemed to melt away as he eyed the tea with delight.

“Ah, thank you ever so much, Major.” He lifted the cup to his nose and took a long inhale; the tea had a flowery-sweet scent that Erwin could smell over the musty couches and stagnant air. He took a sip before he turned his attention back to Erwin. “Now, Smith you said your name was? What proof do you have of any of your claims?”

“Since I arrived yesterday my subordinate and I have been the target of two violent attacks by a local band of thugs led by a man named Bolton Cheever. Last night Cheever attacked me in the tavern at the Bird and Baby Inn – I have the stab wound here to prove it.”  Erwin put his hand over his right shoulder, but the Captain continued to sip his tea, unimpressed.  The Major stood at attention behind him, still avoiding looking directly at Erwin.

“This morning we discovered that our horses had been killed.  I have information tying the crime to at least two of the individuals who created a diversion in connection with Cheever’s assault.”

“An interesting story, Smith. But I’m afraid I’d need more than that to release a man who three reliable witnesses say is the culprit.” 

Erwin had a pretty good idea who the three reliable witnesses were.  The fact that the Captain couldn’t put the pieces together with it all laid out so clearly in front of him indicated to Erwin that he either had a weak mind or else was complicit.  Relations between the MPs and Survey Corps were always a little strained, but for a soldier to so easily dismiss the word of a comrade suggested the worst.

Erwin swallowed back the bile rising in his throat.  “Sir, I am his commanding officer and second in command of Survey Corps.  I would be within my rights to insist that you release him into my custody while your…investigation is ongoing.”

The Captain rubbed his eyes with his thumbs vigorously, leaving Erwin to stand in silence for a minute, his demand hanging heavily in the air.  The Major leaned down and whispered something into the Captain’s ear, to which the man nodded stoically as she stood back at attention.

“The Major reminds me that we have it from reliable sources that the man is actually a career criminal from the Underground who has been living above ground without the proper documentation.”

Erwin felt anger bubble up underneath the surface.  So this was their end game? Convict Levi, whether by false testimony from the present or by digging up crimes from his past, and then what? Banish him back to the Underground or, worse, hang him? To what end?

Whoever was behind all of this had a vendetta – and they had the resources to put it into effect.  Erwin doubted highly that Bolton Cheever was that person.

“Sir, I can assure you that Corporal Levi is a legitimate member of Survey Corps.  It is true he was born in the Underground, but in exchange for agreeing to join the military he gained his citizenship.”

The Captain shook his head.  “No, I’m afraid I can’t release him to you, given the gravity of the charges.”

Erwin grit his teeth.  “I must at least be allowed to speak with him before I go.”

The Captain pondered Erwin disdainfully, then with a wave of his hand summoned his assistant forward. “Floren,” he ordered, “show him to the prisoner.”

Her nostrils flared, and when she finally looked at Erwin he was somewhat surprised to see anxiety in her eyes.   He gave the Captain a curt nod, then turned to follow her out of the room.  He couldn’t tell in the low light, but he thought the man’s eyes looked suddenly inky to him.

Erwin followed Major Floren down a hallway to a flight of stairs leading up.    Erwin could hear scrambling noises the minute their boots hit the stairs; at the top, two guards looked like they had hurriedly brushed aside a game of cards to stand at attention on either side of a wooden door. Erwin tried to catch their eyes, but they kept their gazes averted in deference to the Major.  She narrowed her eyes at them in annoyance and waved a hand at the door; one of the soldiers jumped to remove the makeshift timber barring it shut. 

“You have five minutes.” She said. He could hear the soldiers close and bolt the door behind him.

It was even murkier inside the room than in the rest of the house.  The sole window had apparently been boarded up from the outside, letting in only small strips of light that reflected off the dust floating in the air.  Erwin had a hard time making anything out, but he could tell from the quick flash of movement and the clatter of chains that Levi had been lying curled on the ramshackle bed in the middle of the room.

“Erwin?” he called out, voice raspy.

“Levi.” He felt a sudden rush of relief.  “We don’t have much time.  Are you hurt?”

Erwin crossed the room in two quick strides and crouched at the side of the bed. He could see now that Levi’s hands were manacled together, and a short chain connected him to the bedframe, restricting his movement so he couldn’t get up off the bed. 

Erwin inhaled sharply when his eyes finally adjusted to the light and he was able to see Levi’s face.

“It’s alright – it’s not as bad as it looks, My gut hurts from being punched in the stomach a few times, though.” Levi remarked dryly.  His lip was split and crusted with blood.  It was obvious that he’d taken more than one punch to the face from the way his brow was starting to swell over his eye, marring his normally pristine white skin with purple blotches.

Erwin reached out with tentative fingertips to assess whether any bones in his face were broken.  It was hard to tell, but he thought it was mostly superficial, as Levi had said.

“The old man was dead when I got there,” Levi whispered. He hung his head, frowning deeply.

Erwin swallowed past the grief – he didn’t have the time for it right now.  When he spoke, his tone was icy.  “Was it Cheever’s gang?”

“Yeah.  Those assholes from last night got the jump on me the minute I walked in. The big one, well…” Levi shrugged, his meaning obvious.  “He’s really damn big, Erwin.  Bigger than Mike.”

“Was the Major with them? The woman with the blonde hair.”

“She got there later.  Once that dick had me to the point where I couldn’t fight back, they started the fire, then snuck me out through the back.  They made a show of dragging me around to the front of the store, shouting about how I’d started the fire and killed Gerhard. That’s when she showed up with a few other dumbass MP lackeys, chained me up and took me away.  It all happened so quick I didn’t even have time to tell them to eat shit.”

Erwin sighed in frustration.  “The Captain won’t release you.  They’re framing you for the murder and for arson, but they also have some information about your past they intend to use against you.”

“Fuckers,” Levi spat.  “How’d they get that?”

“I’m not sure.  The MPs are wrapped up in this somehow, but there’s no way they could have gotten that information after they arrested you – it hasn’t even been an hour yet.  Is there anything else you can tell me?”

Levi considered for a moment.  “When I first got here, they made me drink something. The Major sat and watched me drink then waited around for a few minutes and kept looking at my eyes. She seemed pissed when she finally left.”

Erwin’s mind worked, turning that piece of information over and over.  He thought maybe the Major had been trying to drug Levi, but apparently it hadn’t worked.  Could she have also done something to the guard at the door, or even the Captain?  Aside from their eyes, though, and the guard’s poor hygiene, they didn’t exhibit any other outward signs that would indicate being drugged.  He wished Hange was here to help him evaluate the situation.

Levi interrupted him from his thoughts.  “So, what’s your plan?”

“You assume I have a plan?”

“ _Tch_. You always have a plan.”

He clenched his jaw determinedly.  “I’m going to ride back to base on Rudi’s horse and get Shadis to draw up some paperwork clearing you of any past wrongdoings in exchange for joining Survey Corps.  Then I’m going to come back. With reinforcements.  If I can’t get you out of here with evidence and paperwork, I’ll break you out, so be ready.”

“I’m ready.  This set up isn’t really even good enough to hold me, anyways. I’m just staying as a courtesy.”  Levi gave the chains a jerk with his wrists.

In response, there was an insistent knock on the door.

“One more minute,” Erwin shouted and, hearing no objection, he turned back to Levi. “Did you see Eli?”

Levi looked suddenly anguished.  “No.  You haven’t seen him? You don’t think he was –”

“I’m not sure. He…liked to sleep late so he may have been upstairs when the fire started.”

“Erwin – I’m so sorry.”

“It’s my fault. I should have known what was happening sooner. If I had just –”

Levi shoved at him with his manacled hands, chains clattering. “Don’t do that shit to yourself. It’s not your fault.”

Erwin bowed his head for a moment, defeated.  Levi reached out with a pointed finger, tracing a line from Erwin’s cheek to his chin, then tilted Erwin’s face up and leaned forward to give him a gentle kiss on the lips.

“I’m not going to stop until I have you safe with me again,” he said, after Levi pulled away.

“I know.” 

He stood and straightened his jacket with a tug, schooling his face back into a cool mask, void of emotion. Without saying goodbye, he turned and headed for the door.

“Erwin.”

“Yes?”

“This room is fucking filthy and I stink from last night.  Make it quick.”

Erwin suppressed a smile, then turned and knocked on the door to be let out.

~*~

Erwin kept his head down as he walked down the cul-de-sac to the Inn.  He had thought about trying to return there secretively, but had dismissed the idea as pointless paranoia.  The people involved in all this – Cheever’s gang, and most likely Major Floren as well – already knew he’d stayed there last night. 

He thought about how he’d hugged Sarah when he’d seen her in the tavern, in front of everyone, and felt an icy pit form in his stomach.  He wished he had someone he could rely on to leave here and keep track of things, to watch the Inn and protect his cousins, and to keep track of the comings and goings at the MP’s temporary base.  He wasn’t sure who here he could trust, though, aside from his family, and they were the very people he was anxious to protect. He would just have to make sure they understood what was going on and were prepared.

He burst through the front door of the Inn, still deep in thought.  Erwin brushed past several surprised looking Inn employees, including the porter who had carried their bags yesterday, and headed up the stairs towards his room.  He would collect his things and be off at once.  It was still only midday; if he was lucky, he could make it back to base by suppertime, collect the paperwork he needed from the Commander and round up Hange and Mike and maybe even Nanaba and be back by midnight.  It would be difficult riding at night, but with clear skies and a full moon, Erwin thought it was possible.

He realized immediately when he opened the door to his room that he wasn’t alone, and threw up his arms in a quick defensive block.

“Erwin! Good god man. We’ve been waiting for you!” It was Thomas, Sarah’s husband, standing by the door.  Erwin looked past him to see Sarah, perched on the edge of one of the beds, looking up at him anxiously.  Rudi leaned against the far wall, eyes focused on a little bundle sitting next to Sarah.

“Eli!” Erwin let out a shout.

The boy was curled in a blanket, face shiny and red from crying. Erwin couldn’t believe he was there, in front of him and alive. He collapsed to the ground and held his small face in his hands for a moment, overwhelmed.  Eli flung his arms around Erwin’s neck and dissolved into sobs.

Sarah piped up, her voice soft and gentle.  “He showed up here about a half hour ago.  He told us what happened.  We’ve known Gerhard a long time, Erwin.”  Her voice caught a little, but she took a breath and went on.  “Eli said your friend was taken away by MPs?”

Erwin pulled Eli back and looked at him intently.  “You saw all that happen?”

Eli sniffed and nodded his head miserably.

“How did you manage it?”

Eli shrugged.  “I’m good at staying out of sight.  I was – I hid in the storage closet, when they first came in…and I saw…”  Eli’s face screwed up in distress, and he shook his head suddenly and leaned his forehead down on Erwin’s shoulder.

“It’s alright. You don’t have to tell me.  It’s alright.” Erwin rubbed his back for a moment, soothing him until he could no longer feel him trembling.

At last the boy settled. “Levi didn’t do anything wrong, he was trying to help.”

“I know.”

Erwin stood and surveyed the room.

“There’s a lot I am not sure of yet, but I am fairly certain at least one of the MPs is in league with Cheever’s gang. I have to return to base and see what I can do to get Levi released, but I’ll be back as soon as possible, with reinforcements.  Is there anyone you can trust to send to watch their temporary headquarters, who can give me a report when I get back?”

Eli spoke up immediately. “I’ll do it!”

“Absolutely not!” Sarah interjected.  From behind her, Rudi grunted, wordlessly telling her to let Eli speak his peace.

“I want to do it! I’m good at spying, I’ve been doing it for months for my grandfather. I want to help. Erwin, please let me.” The boy looked up at him with pleading eyes.  It was dangerous, but then again, the chances were that he would go completely unnoticed, whereas an adult would draw suspicion. 

Erwin thought of himself at that age and the feeling of being utterly useless in the face of forces much greater than himself.  He knew Eli would be perfect for the job, knew what it meant to him to be able to help, but it still made him feel a little sick accepting his proposal.

“Eli, I can’t make your choices for you.  If you want to do this, I won’t keep you from it, but you have to follow my orders – as if you were a soldier under my command.  Do you understand?”

Eli shook his head vigorously in agreement.

“Observe only, from a safe distance, don’t interfere.  When I get back I’ll want to know who went in and out.  Pay attention to their patches – are they all Military Police, or are there any others?  And look out for the men who were at the store this morning.”

“I’ll do it! You’ll see, you won’t regret it, Erwin!”  He stood up stick-straight and gave Erwin a deadly earnest salute.  His heart broke a little to see him like that. There was nothing he could do to get this poor child’s innocence back, except return the salute and be prepared to bear the guilt and blame if anything went wrong.

“Ruediger. Every hour, send someone past to get a visual on Eli,” Erwin instructed. The old man nodded, seemingly accepting of the plan. Erwin paused for a moment, collecting his thoughts.  “Before I go, I need someone to deliver a message for me, to a member of the Military Police stationed in Stohess District, as quietly as possible.”

“I’ll go,” Sarah volunteered. Thomas started to protest, but Sarah silenced him with a gesture. “I’m a fast rider, and I know how to talk to people – if he’s difficult to find, I’ll be the one who’ll get it done.” She turned and smiled, tight-lipped, at her husband. “Plus, father needs you here, to help protect the place.”  Thomas swallowed and thought about it for a moment but, seeing the resolve in his wife’s eyes, finally nodded his agreement.

The matter settled, Erwin went to the small desk in the corner of the room and pulled out a sheet of paper and pen and started to write.

_Nile,_

_I know it’s been awhile, but I am writing because you were once a logical man, and I need a logical man’s help now.  Come to Karanese District with some trusted soldiers as soon as possible.  I will explain when I see you._

_Regards - E.S._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think Erwin is a master at handling his emotions and thinking clearly under pressure, but that doesn't mean he doesn't feel grief or anxiety or anger. This story is a bit of an attempt at exploring what it must be like inside his head - I guess I just really find this character fascinating (plus unf Commander Handsome!).
> 
> I am on vacation for the next two weeks, so expect another chapter at the end of July. :)


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Erwin returns to Survey Corps base for reinforcements, pushing himself to his limit in the process.

The quarter of an hour before Erwin departed for Survey Corps’ home base was a whirlwind of activity.  He finished up his letter to Nile and sealed it with a dab of wax, then handed it off to Sarah, along with his thorough description of his former friend and some instructions on where to find him.  Although they had only seen each other at a few, formal military functions over the past several years, Erwin kept tabs on Nile, both professionally and personally.  He was fairly confident that he could point his resourceful cousin right to him – the only variable was Nile’s reaction.

With that settled, Erwin took a few moments to review the information Eli and Ruediger had passed along to him.  Rudi’s information was as he expected it; for years, he had been keeping records for Erwin of certain things in the District, from the price of grain to the amount of rainfall every month.  Erwin would transpose the information into one of his books back at his office – he kept track of many things in this way, always searching for meaning in the ebbs and flows of the economy.

Eli’s “intelligence” looked more like the boy had grabbed a random handful of papers off a desk somewhere – which was, he considered, probably the case.  The pages were disorganized and crinkled, but looking through them Erwin found they contained an interesting mix of receipts, notes, and lists which, taken together, painted a picture of the Wall Cult’s activities unlike anything he had seen before. Towards the back of the bundle was the biggest prize: a ledger of donations and, more importantly, donors.  Erwin saw a number of familiar names as he scanned it, including at least two he recognized as prominent merchants in the area, and on the final page, in fading ink, he noted the name “Cheever” next to a sizeable donation.  The family must have, at least at one time, amassed significant wealth – judging by the looks of things, it had been at least a few years since they had had the resources to make any sort of contribution towards the Cult.  Thoughtful, he folded the papers and stuffed it all back into his breast pocket.

Erwin closed up his room, leaving behind most of his belongings to lighten the load for his return trip, and headed downstairs.  Ian hovered near the main entrance, looking misplaced and anxious, having obviously just seen his wife off on her errand to the interior.  Erwin stopped for a minute and gave him some pointers for increasing security throughout the rest of the day and evening.  At Erwin’s suggestion, he rushed off to ensure that the side and back entrances to the Inn were secured, seeming invigorated by having something useful to focus on instead of worrying about Sarah.

Erwin hastened out the front door and headed for the stables.  James was there with Ruediger, who was overseeing the saddling of his huge, chestnut colored draft horse for Erwin’s ride.  As Erwin approached, he could see his older cousin seemed agitated, although he was hiding it well. Erwin gave him a reassuring pat on the back before he climbed up onto the enormous beast.

“Stay alert. And keep track of Eli.”

Rudi waved him off, annoyed.  “I will, I will. Be careful on the road.”

The horse gave a toss of her head as Erwin urged her forward, as fast as he dared on the busy streets.  It had taken him and Levi about four hours to make it to Karanese District.  Erwin hoped he could make it back in half the time. That would still give him a few hours of daylight for the return journey later this afternoon, if all went according to plan. 

It wasn’t long before he reached the gate leading out into Wall Maria territory.  A few Garrison soldiers guarded the gate – or rather, loafed about nearby. He overheard one of them say something rude about the Wings of Freedom, but Erwin ignored them and, as soon as he emerged on the other side of the gate, he spurred the horse on to a canter.

The horse was as solid and reliable as Rudi had claimed, but it was still a completely different experience than riding Charade – the simple truth was that she had been bred for hauling carts loaded with goods, not evading Titans.  It was his own fault, anyways. He had failed Charade, as he had failed Gerhard, as he had failed Levi.  It was cold, hard fact. He had the mental discipline not to wallow in the guilt, because he knew that doing so would just make it all the more difficult for him to secure Levi’s release and subdue the threat, but he kept that thought at the forefront of his mind to keep himself on his toes.  The enemy had already proven that they were willing to go to brutal lengths, and he couldn’t let them take him by surprise again.

The road leading away from Karanese was rocky and steep, and the horse shied as they took a sharp corner.  Reluctantly, Erwin slowed their pace, resigned to take it easier until they had descended onto the plain below.  The sun beat down, unnaturally warm for this time of year, sticking his uniform to his skin uncomfortably.  He navigated the path with increasing frustration, eager to really get underway. 

The moment the terrain changed to a gentler slope he dug his heels into her sides to encourage her to increase her speed.  Her hooves dug in heavily, leaving deep marks in the earth, but she sprang to life at last, the speed generating a wind that blew Erwin’s hair back, giving him temporary relief from the heat.  After a minute, Erwin could tell with disappointment that she had reached her top speed. It felt like moving in treacle.

He had ridden for about three hours when he had to stop to let a farmer and his herd of goats finish crossing the road. The farmer was ancient, with sun-weathered skin that made him look leathery, but he looked up at Erwin with clear, appraising eyes.

“You don’t look so good, young man. Come up to the house and the wife will give you something cool to drink.”  He leaned heavily against his walking stick as he toddled off, clearly expecting Erwin’s compliance.

“That’s kind of you, sir, but I have urgent business to attend to.”

As the last goat crossed, Erwin took off again, but he could hear the old man snort in displeasure behind him.

“Don’t be a damned fool!”

 _It’s a little late for that_ , he thought, as he rode away.

He finally caught sight of their base just as the sun was dipping into the horizon.  From a distance, he spotted a lone figure in the lookout tower, tall and broad shouldered. Mike gave him an exaggerated wave, and his familiar presence suddenly made him feel more at ease.

Erwin pulled on the horse’s reins as he drew up below the tower.  He noticed her mouth was foaming, and felt a pang of guilt over pushing her so hard.   

Mike leaned over the railing of the tower and gave a deep inhale through his nose that Erwin could hear from ten feet below.

“I smell Levi—but, he isn’t with you…?”

“It’s a long story,” Erwin called as Mike started down the ladder.  “I need you to go get Hange and Nanaba and prepare to head out after I’ve spoken with the Commander. I’ll need one of our spare horses.”

“Erwin!” Mike trotted up next to him and reached up a steadying hand.  “You look like you’re about to collapse.”

Erwin swayed in his saddle, suddenly lightheaded. It was as if Mike’s concern had finally penetrated the wall of resolve he’d surrounded himself with; everything caught up with him all at once. The last thing he remembered before he toppled forward was Mike’s strong hand on his leg, and the sound of the horse struggling to catch its breath.

~*~

In their first year in the Training Corps, Erwin, Mike, Nile, and Willum had found a waterfall a few miles away from their base that emptied into a deep, narrow pool. They had stripped down to their underclothes, still too young and awkward to feel comfortable exposing their wiry bodies to the cool air, and climbed in one by one over rocks made slippery by the waterfall’s spray.  Erwin was the first to suggest they jump from the top of the waterfall, a good fifteen feet that looked more like one hundred when he stood on the edge, toes curling to clutch the rock beneath him.  He experienced only a moment’s hesitation before he pushed off, then felt his stomach drop as he slammed into the water.  He sunk down and down, driven deep into the dark pool by the force of his jump, and it felt like forever before he was able to touch the slimy bottom and push off. His lungs burned for air as he finally drew near the surface, and he could hear his friends shouting his name, voices muffled by the water surrounding him.

He opened his eyes, and Hange’s spectacled face filled his vision, framed by the sterile walls of the infirmary. 

Erwin groaned and closed his eyes again. Why was he thinking of that day at the waterfall now?

“Aha! He’s waking up!” Hange exclaimed.  A mild grunt of acknowledgment confirmed Mike was also in the room.

“What happened?” Erwin said, opening his eyes again in slits.

“You collapsed! After riding in on a strange horse, no less.  Do you think you may have developed an illness?”  Hange pressed the back of her hand to Erwin’s forehead and cheek in turns, then leaned down close to stare into his eyes, her nose almost touching his.

“Hange – please. I’m not sick,” Erwin pushed himself up off the bed, forcing her to lean back, but a sharp stab of pain in his injured arm made him wince back noticeably.

“What happened to you? Take off your shirt, let me have a good look!” She didn’t wait for him to comply but started palpating his upper arm, searching with ungentle fingers for the source of his pain. Erwin brushed her off and undid his shirt, accepting her terrible attempt at treatment.  After the long ride in the sun he would need someone to change the dressing anyways, and Hange was more than qualified, although her bedside manner left much to be desired. 

“How long was I out?”

“Not long.  I had to carry your ass in here, though,” Mike replied.

“We need to get back to Karanese as quickly as possible – Hange, stop!” She was prodding at his wound, pinching his skin in between her fingers to get a better look at the stitching.

“Erwin, there’s no way you’re riding again tonight, you’re exhausted. Who did these stitches, anyways? They’re immaculate.”

“Levi did. Hange – ouch, just replace the bandage.”

“Where _is_ Levi?” Mike interjected over Hange’s fussing.

Before Erwin could answer, Commander Shadis burst through the infirmary door, beady eyes landing on him immediately.  Nanaba snuck in close behind, and slid up beside Mike to stand at attention.

“Smith!  Report! Where the fresh hell is Corporal Levi? And what happened to your arm?”

“Sir, I was stabbed last night, and Levi was arrested--”

“What!? Levi stabbed you?” Hange cut in, dropping the roll of bandages in her surprise.

“No, no – he saved me from this being much worse.” Erwin waited for Hange to return with the bandages and then continued his report.  “This morning we discovered that someone had killed our horses. I sent Levi to check on Gerhard, because when we’d seen him yesterday he mentioned that some young people had been harassing him at his store due to his good relationship with the Survey Corps.  Levi was arrested while we were separated, by a group of MPs whom I believe to be working independently of central command.”

“A rogue group of MPs?” The Commander looked skeptical.  “What makes you think they are operating without authorization?”

“For starters, they’re holed up in an abandoned house instead of using official military property. I also observed some strange behavior that leads me to believe one of them may be drugging the others – to what end, I am not sure.  Before I left Karanese I sent word to the MP second-in-command, who will hopefully investigate and confirm my suspicions that these soldiers have broken away from the command structure.”

Erwin knew without even looking that Mike was giving him a skeptical eye.  Although Erwin had long since forgiven Nile for his actions after they’d graduated, Mike wouldn’t let it go. Erwin was aware his attitude was mostly for his sake.

“But why did they arrest Levi?” Hange cut in, leaning forward in agitation.

Erwin took a deep breath.  The grief was still fresh, and he was loathe to break the news to everyone.  The loss of Gerhard was a significant blow to him personally, and he knew that at least Hange and Mike would feel the same way.  On top of that, however, Gerhard was a critical supplier for the Corps, and his loss would severely complicate their efforts until new contacts could be secured. 

“Early this morning, Gerhard was murdered and his store was torched.  The same people responsible for attacking me and killing our horses set-up Levi to take the fall for their crimes.”

The air felt like it had been sucked out of the room as everyone went still with shock. Mike grunted and tossed his head, shaking his hair over his face in a gesture Erwin knew meant he was upset. Shadis turned his face away, but Erwin could see his usual hard scowl was replaced by a genuine frown.

The Commander was the first to regain his voice after a minute of troubled silence.

“You’re positive the Corporal had nothing to do with this?”

“I would put my life on it, sir.  Gerhard’s young grandson witnessed the entire event and escaped.  His story matches perfectly with Levi’s.”

Shadis went silent again and started pacing the room slowly.  Erwin gave him a few minutes as he rebuttoned his shirt and slipped on his uniform jacket.

“Commander, the MPs also claim to have evidence linking Levi to crimes committed in the Underground, before he joined Survey Corps.  If I’m to secure his release, I’ll need official documentation showing that Survey Corps has done an inquest into Levi’s past life and has absolved him of any wrongdoing in exchange for his service.” 

Shadis surveyed Erwin carefully. Their relationship had always been tense – the Commander knew full well what Erwin was capable of, although he chose to use his skills sparingly, only when needed to secure continuous funding from Sina’s wealthy upper class.  Even more than the usual tension, though, Erwin knew from the look in his eyes that he was sizing him up, trying to determine if he was being played.

“We haven’t performed such an inquest,” he stated neutrally, inviting Erwin to elaborate.

Erwin jumped to the challenge.  “Sir, Levi is the greatest asset Survey Corps has acquired since three-dimensional maneuvering gear. I acknowledge that we don’t know every detail of his past, but I have come to know him well these past few months, and I will vouch for his character without question.”

“Me too,” Mike chimed in immediately, arms crossed over his chest.

Nanaba, still young and overly formal, snapped a smart salute. “I too would vouch for Corporal Levi’s character, Sir!”

Hange put her chin in her fist and tapped her cheek thoughtfully. “Oh! Levi is certainly an interesting character, that’s for sure. Although he has such a gruff and sometimes inappropriate exterior, I think underneath he is one of the most loyal, trustworthy and compassionate soldiers I have ever personally met. Why, just look at the way he deals with the new recruits –”

“Hange,” Erwin cut her off.

“Thank you, all, for your entirely unsolicited input on Corporal Levi,” Shadis retorted. “For the record, however…I tend to agree. I’ll draw something up, Smith.” With a nod, he turned and marched out, leaving Erwin alone with his three colleagues.

“Everyone prepare for the trip back.  Bring full gear. We’ll head out at 1900.”

“Erwin, you can’t –”

“I don’t want to hear it, Hange.”

Mike piped up with his agreement. “She’s right, Erwin. You need rest.”

“I’ll rest when I’m dead. Get ready to leave – not another word about me.”

~*~

It was twilight when they started out, and a much more comfortable temperature for riding now that the sun had set.  The fresh Survey Corps horses made it feel like flying compared with Erwin’s earlier trek.

The three of them still had questions – so did he – but, aside from their concerns for his wellbeing, they had followed him without hesitation.  Erwin understood their apprehension, but he’d seen, and suffered, much worse.  As a compromise, he’d eaten a quick meal before they departed and soldiered on.

It had meant a lot to him to know that they were all willing to vouch for Levi.  A part of him felt relieved by how much they had obviously come to think of Levi as part of the team.  It was confirmation that the trust he placed in Levi wasn’t just him fooling himself out of – what was it? Lust? It was more than that, he knew, but Erwin didn’t have the time or the energy to spare for such thoughts.

It was dark by the time they approached Karanese, but with clear skies and a full moon they barely had to slow their pace as they took the winding path up to the gate.  The area was deserted save for two Garrison soldiers lazily playing a game of cards on an overturned barrel.

As Erwin and Mike rode through the archway side-by-side, one of the soldiers looked up from his game and gave a loud shout. “Well look at this! Survey Corps is here in force! What’s going on, pals, we about to get attacked by Titans?”  He laughed and banged his hand on the barrel obnoxiously, while his cohort looked on with disinterest.  Erwin didn’t even spare him a second glance.

“You should be guarding this gate, not playing cards.” Mike stated, echoing Erwin’s own thoughts.

“Hey! You can’t tell me what to do, you aren’t my boss!” the soldier shouted at their retreating forms.  Hange fell to snickering, and Erwin heard Nanaba curse them under her breath as they disappeared  behind them.

The streets were empty, and the rise and fall of their horses’ hooves echoed eerily off the cobblestones.  Erwin didn’t intend to wait for morning to confront Captain Banners, regardless of what polite military protocol dictated, and instead planned to ride straight there.  He wasn’t thinking about the fact that the route he had chosen would take them past Gerhard’s store until they were almost upon it. 

As the place where the store once stood came into view he could sense his friends turn somber.  Now that they were here, it felt only right to stop and take a moment to pay their respects. Erwin led them off the road, and together they dismounted and stood side-by-side at the end of the path that used to lead up to the store’s front door.  What remained of the store was dark pile of ash and blackened masonry.   Mike crouched down and laid a reverent hand on the stone step that was all that remained of the entryway.

They were quiet for a few minutes, standing there together in the dark, alone with their thoughts but taking comfort in each other’s closeness.

“Why would they do this?” Nanaba sniffed back tears as she stared at the burnt remains of the building.

It wasn’t that unlike the times they had returned from missions and lit a funeral pyre for the deceased.  There were no words that could assuage the grief, nothing they could do besides accept it and move on.  This time, though, something was different – unlike the never-ending battle against the Titans, they could channel their sadness into bringing justice to the people who had done this.

“I don’t know why, but I intend to find out.”

Mike stood suddenly, head tilted up, in a familiar gesture Erwin knew meant he had caught the scent of something.

“Smells wrong. Like…” Mike scrunched up his nose in frustration, “something sweet covering up something dead.”

Without needing any instruction, Hange and Nanaba turned and spread out, covering more ground and doing a visual search of the area.  It wasn’t long before the source of the odd smell presented itself.

“Well, well, look what we have here. I thought maybe you were running away when you left this morning through the gate.”

“Hello, Bolton,” Erwin said calmly. The two young men from the night before stood behind him, clearly trying to look tough.  It would almost be comical – three scrawny kids, arrayed against four of humanity’s finest soldiers – but Erwin wouldn’t under estimate them again. Plus, there was at least one more of his gang he didn’t see, and he knew from both Eli and Levi’s eye-witness accounts that he didn’t want to tangle with the man’s brute strength.

“Am I supposed to be impressed you know my name?  I know yours, too…Erwin Smith.”

Erwin ignored his baiting, opting instead to attempt to draw some information out of him.  It shouldn’t be hard – the boy was clearly here to gloat.

“They let you out of custody so soon, I hadn’t even had a chance to press charges.  You must have some friends in high places.”  Erwin could see from the corner of his eye that Hange was inching around to the side, eyes locked on the shorter of the two thugs standing behind Bolton.

“Heh, I guess you could say that.  I do have the three goddesses behind me.”

“So that gives you license to attack a member of the military in public? Or murder a shopkeeper in his home?”

Bolton’s dark eyes flashed and his lips curled in an excited sneer.  “No one important will believe that! They already don’t.”

“Not a very convincing denial,” Mike said from behind Erwin.

“I’m not _trying_ to convince _you_.  And anyways, I don’t have to answer to a group of blasphemers.” His locked eyes with Erwin defiantly.  From what he could tell, Bolton wasn’t suffering from any of the odd symptoms manifesting in the MPs he had seen earlier – his pupils looked completely normal, and everything else about his bearing suggested a person that was well in control of his faculties.  

“Now, once those MPs execute that little prick they scooped up this morning, we’ll be –”

The sudden surge of rage that flowed through Erwin was surprising. It would be easy for him to keep his composure, but in a fraction of a second he decided to act on it.  He felt confident someone like Bolton would respond to a little well-controlled violence.

He snarled and grabbed Bolton up by his shirtfront roughly, lifting him off the ground to look into his eyes.  Mike was there the next second, ready to step in, and Erwin could sense Nanaba creep out to Mike’s flank, creating a wider barrier to prevent the other two from running.

“Levi’s life is worth a hundred – no, a thousand lives, of people like you,” he whispered viciously in Bolton’s face. “You’ll never have him. He’s ours.”  Although his overblown anger was an act, the words were not, and Erwin could feel a lump rise in his throat as he spoke.

He threw Bolton back with a shove, toppling him into his two lackeys.  Mike feinted forward, fists at the ready, and sent them scrambling back even further over the cobblestones ungracefully. They helped each other up and, from a safe distance, Bolton turned and sneered at Erwin.

“Good luck finding him.  If you don’t act fast, the next time you see him his feet will be dangling from a noose!”  With a mock salute they were gone, dissolving back into the shadows of the alleyway across the street.

 _Finding_ him. Erwin turned his choice of words over in his mind, clenching and unclenching his jaw.

Hange trotted up, her scientific exuberance bubbling over.  “Erwin, there was definitely something wrong with those two boys!  It was just like you described the young soldier yesterday – both had huge pupils that fluttered around the edges.  I suspect whatever substance is causing it may be connected to the odd smell Mike picked up – as I got closer to them, even I could smell something was off.”

Mike grunted his concurrence. “Bolton didn’t smell like that, though, just the two kids.”

“His eyes looked natural as well, that was part of the reason I grabbed him – so I could take a closer look.”

“I’m sure your reaction had _nothing_ to do with the fact that he was threatening Levi,” Hange grinned at him, and Erwin gave her a stern look that shut her down, although she still smirked at him maniacally.  

“If some of the soldiers and gang members are being manipulated, we have to be careful not to harm them,” Nanaba interjected.  “They may not be acting of their own free will.”

Erwin shook his head in agreement.  “We’ll have to keep that in mind, but we’ll be taking each situation as it comes.  I won’t take unnecessary risks with Levi’s life.”  He looked at each of them in turn and, seeing their agreement, headed for his horse.

“Let’s get moving.  I have a feeling we won’t find Levi in the same place I left him.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone for hanging in there and waiting on this chapter! I hope it's enjoyable -- I don't even know where this stuff is coming from anymore!
> 
> I appreciate all the comments, kudos and bookmarks! *flails* you guys are awesome!!


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spying is dangerous work, but Erwin gave Eli an important job, and he isn't going to disappoint him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello lovely readers!! This chapter is shorter than some of my previous chapters, but I decided I wanted to post this as it is. It's the only chapter so far that isn't from Erwin's point of view, so I thought it made sense as a stand-alone.

_Three Hours Earlier_

Eli slouched behind a barrel, hidden from view in an alleyway across the street from the MPs temporary base. When he had arrived earlier in the afternoon, sent by Erwin on this important spying mission, he had been disappointed to find that the “base” was really just a boring old house that looked like it hadn’t been lived in for a few years. There was only ever one guard outside, and for the past hour and a half no one had even gone in or out. It was the most unexciting thing he thought he had ever done.

From what he had seen of the MPs, he didn’t think they even deserved to call themselves soldiers. Although he was used to the sometimes lackadaisical attitude of the Garrison soldiers, they were almost always clean and alert during daylight hours. And of course, the Survey Corps men and women he’d seen come into his grandfather’s store over the years were _true_ heroes, especially Erwin, who he was sure had probably killed a thousand Titans single-handedly. In stark contrast, the few MPs he had seen earlier looked like they hadn’t bathed in days, and could barely stand up without leaning against the door or hunching their shoulders.

Eli wouldn’t be like them – not now, and not when he joined up with Survey in a few years. He would take his job seriously, just like Erwin did. That was why he was still awake now, watching the door, even though it seemed completely pointless as the night wore on.

Eli pulled his heavy cloak around him tighter and shifted so his legs wouldn’t fall asleep. True to his word, Ruediger had sent someone to check in on him every hour, until the old man had finally come himself about two hours ago and tried to persuade him to go back to the Inn for the night. 

The boy had flat-out refused. There was no way he was abandoning Levi, who had tried to save Eli’s grandfather, despite the odds being stacked heavily against him. Eli knew he wasn’t big enough or strong enough to help take down Cheever’s gang, but Erwin needed someone to watch these MPs for a reason, and he would rather die too than fail him.

Ruediger had just sighed and ruffled his hair, then produced the cloak and a loaf of bread and told him to keep warm overnight. It almost seemed like he had expected that Eli wouldn’t be going back with him, and it made him feel pride in his decision to stay.

He was starting to think maybe he would close his eyes, just for a few minutes. The night air was crisp, and the alleyway was surprisingly comfortable (although, being 10 years old, Eli could in fact fall asleep anywhere). He was safe enough where he was hiding and, besides which, no one had seen him earlier anyways. What harm could some shut eye do?

Eli’s head snapped up when he heard the sound of horse hooves on the cobblestone, unsure how long he had been dozing. He crept up silently to the edge of the alley and watched as a horse-drawn wooden cart pulled up to the front door of the house. Eli’s eyes went wide. In the driver’s seat was Bolton Cheever, the three men who had killed his grandfather along for the ride in the back.

The front door swung open with a snap. The small blonde woman who had overseen Levi’s arrest earlier in the day came marching out, glaring in Cheever’s direction.

“Floren! C’mere.” Cheever yelled out as he hopped down from the driver’s bench, his arms held wide like he was going to lift her off her feet in a hug. 

She stopped him with an extended hand and a sharp look.

“Bolton, where have you been? I told you I wanted to move the prisoner out before nightfall!” 

As Cheever began a half-hearted apology, two MPs exited the house, pushing Levi out with them. His hands and feet were manacled together and connected with a chain, and his head hung low, hair shielding his eyes. Cheever’s gang clambered out of the cart and started hurling insults at Levi as the soldiers prodded him towards the back of the cart. 

They were taking him away. Eli felt a momentary stab of panic – how good of a lookout would he have been, if all he could tell Erwin was that they put Levi on a cart and rode away with him? 

It was risky, but he had to cross the street, and he had to do it fast. Bolton and Floren were arguing, and everyone else looked occupied enough watching Levi climb awkwardly into the cart, so he took a deep breath and darted out from his hiding spot.

He stopped just past the corner of the building and pressed himself up tight against the wall, peeking out after a second to see if he’d been discovered. It was much the same as the moment before – except Levi seemed to be staring right at him. The man looked away quick as he settled himself down on the rough floor of the cart, preserving Eli’s cover.

Cheever’s voice rose high enough that Eli could hear him. “I was keeping an eye on the other guy – the one I stabbed last night. Followed him halfway to the middle of freaking nowhere before I turned around and came straight back here. I think he’s run home – coward!”

Eli glanced at Levi. He could see his eyes shine in the low light as he glared hatefully towards his captors.

“He didn’t run home, Bolton! He left to get reinforcements. His name is Erwin Smith, and the word is that he’s one of Survey Corps most skilled soldiers. There’s no way he was just leaving.”

Bolton guffawed theatrically. “Like I’m scared of him. Anyways, I don’t understand why we don’t just execute this one now. I’m sure Jacques here would love to get another crack at him—” 

“I told you a hundred times, my boss wants him alive.”

Cheever grabbed her arm and walked her a few steps away from the cart, in the direction of Eli’s new hiding place. His dropped his voice to an angry whisper.

“I don’t care what your _boss_ thinks, we shouldn’t be recruiting blasphemers!”

“His orders come straight from the King, and isn’t the King supposed to be the greatest disciple of the Walls? Maybe he has some greater purposes that peasants like us aren’t fit to know about!”

If Cheever responded, Eli couldn’t hear him, because just then a soldier rode up the street past him with three horses. Floren immediately started issuing orders – one soldier was assigned to drive the cart, while the other two would ride in front. Eli hazarded a look around the corner and saw her mounting her horse and maneuvering it to the point position. Bolton, who was standing off to the side, suddenly looked like he had a thought.

“Hey, what about Captain Windbag?”

Floren started, then turned her face away from him off into the night. “The herbs weren’t working anymore. He was…asking a lot of questions.”

“Hah!” Bolton hopped up with a foot in her stirrup and gave her a kiss. “That’s my girl!”

Eli slinked back, a queer feeling in his stomach. He didn’t understand what she meant, but regardless, it did not sound good. 

He heard the crack of the reigns and the sound of the cart rolling away. His time had run out. 

He peeked back around the corner and could see Cheever and his gang approaching. He sucked in a breath and held it in silence. After bearing witness to his grandfather’s murder at their hands, any youthful feelings of indestructability he may have previously harbored had completely disappeared. A tear rolled down his cheek, and he wondered distantly when he had started crying because his whole face felt wet. 

It felt like the moment stretched into eternity. The thugs passed by, not seeing the spindly little boy hiding amongst the shadows. When he was sure they were out of earshot he exploded out of the alley with a burst of speed and ran after the cart on light feet. 

The MPs were all too busy to hear him, but Levi caught sight of him as he flung himself up onto the back of the cart. Eli grinned, all teeth. He had made it!

Levi shook his head and frowned at him. 

Eli looked him dead in the eye and whispered, just loud enough for Levi to hear.

_“I promised Erwin!”_

Levi’s eyes went wide, but he didn’t respond. Eli smiled again at him and, with a nod of his head, started lowering himself so that his legs dangled off the back of the cart. With his small hands and feet, he was able to grip the gaps in the wooden planks, and so he picked his way under the cart to hang, upside down, beneath it. No one would ever find him here. 

The road was smooth until they exited the Gate into Wall Rose territory, and then turned bumpy from all the mud from recent rainstorms. Eli scanned for landmarks as best he could, but it was hard to do from his vantage point. He knew they were on the main road for a long while, then turned off down a path with long grass that reached up and tickled his back.

By the time they finally stopped the joints in Eli’s arms throbbed from staying locked in place too long. He couldn’t see much, except for a stonework building, illuminated by torchlight.

Floren pulled her horse up and started barking orders. “Get him down from there and bring him inside. The men stationed here will know where to put him.”

Chains clanked heavily above him. Eli peered up through the slats and watched as one of the soldiers guided Levi down from the cart wordlessly. Eli couldn’t see clearly, but there was definitely something very weird about the soldier – in fact, now that he thought about it, he hadn’t heard any of them say a word since they had left the house back in Karanese.

“Sleep in shifts,” Floren was telling one of the men as Levi disappeared inside the building. “I should be back by morning.” 

She gave a squeeze of her heels and rode off, headed through the grass north. Eli had to get back to Karanese, had to get Erwin out here before Floren returned.

At last he felt safe dropping down from the cart’s undercarriage, his elbows popping as he stretched. He was in luck – there was only one soldier left outside, and he was busy unhitching the horse from the cart. He snuck out from underneath the carriage and took a quick look around, spotting the horses they had rode here tied to a post nearby

He slunk over on all fours to the three tall mares, quiet as a breeze, and stooped low underneath the first one in line. He tugged and pulled at the saddle, unstrapping it as quietly as he could, then moved on to the second horse. The third he untied from the post and led a few steps away before climbing up onto her back. 

He tried to stay quiet, but it took every ounce of strength and a considerable jump to hoist himself up into the saddle, which the horse did not take kindly to. She whinnied loudly and stamped her hoof, alerting the soldier to his presence.

“Hey!”

Eli swallowed his terror and gave the horse a mighty kick. Mercifully, she took off, and it even seemed like she was heading in the general direction from which they had come. Eli clutched tight to her as he glanced back over his shoulder, just in time to see the soldier fall to the ground, saddle and all, off the back of one of the remaining horses.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have the next chapter partially written already (originally meant to be the second part of this chapter) so hopefully the wait for Chapter 11 won't be so long. Thank you for reading!


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Erwin and the gang investigate the MPs' temporary base in the hopes of finding some clue to Levi's whereabouts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for some blood and minor gore in this chapter. Because apparently I like killing people in fiction?

Before their encounter with Cheever, Erwin had fully intended on riding straight up to the MPs base, official documents in hand, and demand to be seen by the Captain immediately, lateness of the hour be damned. Now, however, the game had changed, and Erwin guessed that taking such a direct approach would be fruitless or, worse, counter-productive. 

With a few simple instructions, his colleagues were able to deduce just how Erwin wanted them to play things. They tied up their horses at a fountain down the street from the MPs’ base and followed him the rest of the way on foot, hugging the edges of the buildings, discreetly hiding in the shadows. They didn’t speak a word to each other as they walked briskly through the town, although Mike stayed close enough on Erwin’s heels that he could hear his friend taking deep, appraising breaths in through his sensitive nose. 

Erwin peered down each alleyway they passed, searching for Eli, but the boy was nowhere to be seen. He felt a twinge of guilt for using him as his lookout, but he quickly set the emotion aside in his mind to focus on the task at hand. When it came down to it, anyways, he didn’t have many options, and the kid wanted to help. Erwin remembered feeling utterly powerless and alone after his father had been murdered – there was nothing he, at a young age, could do to fight the injustices of a world, where a misguided son could condemn his father to death. He thought that Eli probably felt the same way, afraid, alone, completely useless, and thought that putting him to work might have been the best thing for him. It was, unfortunately, also exceptionally dangerous. He hoped the boy was as expert at remaining unseen as he and his late grandfather claimed.

Erwin stopped the group short one block from the house with a gesture, and beckoned them onto a side-street out of line of sight from the front door. He could tell already that there was no guard standing watch, and no one else on the street to interfere with his plans, but he still wanted to approach their temporary headquarters with caution. 

“Nanaba, I want you up on the rooftops. Check all the alleys within a one block radius of here for Eli. He may be hidden from view, so be thorough.” She thumped her fist to her breast in acknowledgment and starting double-checking her 3DMG gear as he continued doling out orders.

“Mike, secure the building’s perimeter. There’s a room on the second story, towards the rear of the house, with a boarded up window. That was where they were holding Levi. After you’ve cleared the rest of the immediate area, stand watch by that window.”

“Got it.”

“Hange. You’re with me. I don’t expect we’re going to find anyone home at the moment, but I want you to examine anything out of the ordinary. You know what we’re looking for.”

“Understood! I don’t know how accurate my analysis will be on the fly – it would be much better if I could take samples back to my lab to examine them – but I can at least start with a working theory based on whatever additional evidence we collect!”

Erwin was cool on the outside, authoritative, but on the inside felt a swell of pride. It was good having his friends around him, working with him on this. He wouldn’t trade them for anything.

“If anyone runs into any trouble, send up a flare. I don’t care if it wakes the entire District, I don’t want anyone tiptoeing around and getting hurt as a result. Now, let’s go.”

Mike dematerialized down the side street out of view without so much as a nod. Nanaba gave another quick salute, then engaged her gear and zipped off to the top of the neighboring building, leaving him alone with Hange.

“Erwin, this is so exciting!” She started gushing, keeping her voice a whisper as he led her back out into the main street towards their target. “I have heard of various technologies – forbidden, of course – that could produce the symptoms and apparent side-effects we’re seeing here. If I can collect a few samples well, the possibilities are really endless…” 

Erwin smiled to himself. They were walking into a base that, earlier in the day, had housed a group of apparent rogue MPs. Although the odds were that they had cleared out, they could also be lying in wait, armed and dangerous, for his return. There was also a chance that whatever methods Floren and Cheever were using to exert control over their respective subordinates could be let loose upon them, morphing them into mindless pawns too. Hange, however, was undeterred, although it didn’t surprise him. In all the time they’d spent together in Survey Corps, he couldn’t remember a time he had ever seen her scared. Hange didn’t do scared; she only ever got excited.

Erwin stepped up to the door of the house and signaled for Hange to stop her enthusiastic chatter. From this vantage point, the house seemed empty and quiet, although it was possible that the MPs were asleep inside. Still, normally a house full of sleeping people breathed with its inhabitants; here, there was no ambient noise, no creaking or exhalations or quiet coughs, just stifling silence.

He reached out and gave a short, loud knock on the door. He could sense, in the odd sort of way of experienced soldiers, Nanaba on the rooftop across the street, watching over his shoulder, and knew that Mike was probably also nearby, blades ready to be unsheathed.

Nothing. There was no sound coming from inside, no stirring as of waking bodies. Hange leaned forward and pressed her ear against the door, listening intently. After another moment without a sound, she gave Erwin a half-shrug and stepped back.

He locked eyes with her, and they collectively held their breath as he gingerly turned the doorknob.

It was dark inside, but they could see right away that it was empty. Hange ducked in, taking a defensive stance, and Erwin steeled himself and followed closely behind. The door fell closed with a quiet click as together they moved deeper into the entryway.

It was even more suffocating inside than it had been earlier that morning. Faint moonlight filtered in through the cracks in the door and the spaces where the heavy drapery had fallen open, giving them enough light to find a few candles on a table by the front door.

“Hange, do you have matches?”

She snorted a little laugh. Most soldiers kept their military-issue flint and steel on them—matches were impractical, because they could get ruined easily. Hange, however, always carried a small pack of odd accessories in her jacket pockets, although she kept that hidden from most people. 

She had produced a match and ignited it against her boot with a smooth strike. The match’s flame cut through the darkness, illuminating a tiny bubble around them as they lit the candles. As their eyes adjusted to the light, Erwin could see Hange shift her focus off over her shoulder, her eyes going wide.

“Erwin – is that….a body?” Hange asked in a hushed whisper. Erwin grimaced as he made his way over to the desk at the other end of the room. 

Hange was right, of course. There was a body, face down on the desk in a pool of blood, in full military uniform.

“It’s the Captain.” He reached out a tentative hand, fingering the patch on the man’s right shoulder as he surveyed the state of his wounds. “It looks like his throat was slit from behind.”

“Obviously, Erwin! The real question is when. From the looks of this blood…on, no wait, there is some overflow here to the floor…” Hange held her face up close to the desk, examining every detail with scientific detachment. “I would say this man was slain three hours ago, give or take, based on the blood’s viscosity and his body temperature.” 

Erwin exhaled loudly in frustration. “Which means they probably cleared out of here around the same time. They have a three hour head start on us.”

_More than that_ , he thought to himself. _We don’t have any leads on where they took Levi._

“Hange, I’m going to search the top floor. You might want to take a look in the kitchen for a tea set. The Captain seemed to change his demeanor earlier after Major Floren brought him tea.” 

Hange stooped and picked a fallen teacup off the ground as he spoke, then held it up to her face, absorbed in observation. Erwin turned for the stairs, leaving her to her work.

Erwin mounted the stairs gingerly, not eager to disturb the ominous pall that enveloped the house. The truth was, enclosed spaces made him feel tense, on edge. He did better in the open air, soaring through the trees with his blades drawn. Something about this place unsettled him.

The door to the room where Levi had been held prisoner was ajar, so Erwin decided to start there. There was little evidence that he had ever been there; it was just the bed, which Levi had apparently seen fit not to destroy, and a small, empty wardrobe closet. Erwin did a quick check of the wardrobe and then searched the walls, feeling for hidden compartments or perhaps a door. Finding nothing of note, he abandoned his search and moved on to the other room on the upper level.

Erwin opened the door slowly, eliciting a loud creak that seemed to echo throughout the house. As in the last room, the window was boarded shut, although here light snuck in around the edges of the wooden planks more freely. The room was chock full of furniture, clearly serving as storage for the items that had previously resided in the neighboring room, but one piece stood out from the rest. Against the wall, opposite the door, was a small vanity with an oval filigree mirror and a delicate matching chair. It, amongst everything else in the house, looked clean, cared-for, and recently used.

The mirror was free of dirt and dust, and the items on the vanity itself were carefully arranged: a pearlescent comb, a tiny figurine of a bird resting on a branch, a paper-bound book of pressed flowers, and a pocket-sized portrait, which was propped against the mirror frame.

Erwin picked up the portrait and held the candle close, examining the details. Such things were a luxury, usually reserved for Sina nobles and the rare well-to-do merchant family. This one depicted a family of three; father, mother, and daughter. The daughter was young in the small painting, probably no more than twelve, but she had a defiant thrust to her chin that Erwin surmised must have been common for her, seeing as the artist had decided to paint her in that fashion. Although her hair was long, her features soft with extra childhood weight, he recognized her immediately as Major Floren.

If this was once her home, clearly something had happened to her family. Had they simply fallen on bad luck? Was it mere coincidence that Cheever’s family had, apparently, experienced something similar? He rubbed a thumb over the small frame and placed it gently back on the desk, lost in thought. What drove the two of them – revenge? Political motive? Or were they simply pawns in something much larger? Whatever the case, Erwin mused, they were willing to leave a string of innocent victims dead in their wake, and they had to be stopped.

He turned to leave, but the sound of bed springs shifting suddenly drew his full attention. He swung the candle wide, casting light into the far recesses of the room, as the shadows seemed to coalesce and rise up towards him menacingly. 

It was a man, no one he had ever seen before, but as he sat up and slowly pushed himself off the bed Erwin was certain he must be the infamous, giant-like member of Cheever’s gang. He straightened up to full height, his shoulders and knuckles popping with the movement, and loomed over Erwin with a wicked smile. He was, as Levi had reported, the tallest man he had ever seen, as tall as some of the smaller Titans they had encountered outside the Walls. This enemy, however, was sentient, conscious of his movements in a way no Titan could be. Subduing him would be unique challenge, to say the least. 

They stared at each other for a moment, his eyes glinting madly in the candlelight. 

“We don’t have to do this.” Erwin stated quietly. 

The man’s lips curled back from his teeth in a mocking grin. He lunged for him in the next instant, head down, putting all his weight into it. Erwin nimbly side-stepped out of the way and dropped his candle, extinguishing what little light it had added to the room, sending his opponent stumbling into one of the old wardrobes. It made a loud crack as it was ripped apart by the man’s shoulder. 

As he struggled to disentangle himself from the furniture’s broken remains, Erwin circled towards the window, clenching the grip of his sword in his fist and preparing for his next attack. The man grunted with the effort of righting himself and came careening towards Erwin again before he had truly gotten his footing, clearly used to relying on his overwhelming brute strength as his best weapon. Erwin dropped his shoulder and rolled towards the door across the room, dodging the man’s meaty fist, which instead exploded through the boarded-up window, sending glass and splinters flying.

Moonlight suddenly shone in brightly through the hole his fist had made, bathing the room in a cool blue pallor. Erwin could hear Hange thumping up the stairs towards the noise, and his trained ear heard the buzz-snap of 3DMG gear outside signaling Mike’s arrival.

This time, instead of lunging yet again, the man squared off, his fists up. He took a long, slow swing, eyes shining with senseless rage. Erwin ducked the blow effortlessly, moving around his opponent’s punch. In one tight, controlled move, Erwin thrust his fist, still clenched tight around his sword grip, up into the man’s fleshy throat. The man let out a strangled grunt and stumbled backwards, clutching at his neck for air. 

Hange burst into the room, her blades drawn. Erwin straightened and engaged his own blades, and he and Hange set up a wide perimeter, hedging their target in against the wall. 

“Hey! What’s going on in there?” Mike called from outside.

Erwin kept his tone measured. “You’re outnumbered, and outclassed. If you surrender now, I promise that we won’t hurt you.”

Hange took a step in close, her face set in a mask of grim determination. The man teetered back and forth, still gasping for breath, but his face was twisted into an ugly scowl that Erwin thought did not bode well.

Without warning, the man turned on his heel and flung himself out the window. 

“Hey! That’s not fair!” Hange shouted. 

The whole house shook with the impact. The force of his leap ripped through the remaining planks of wood that had been covering the window, taking some of the window frame with him along the way. 

“After him!” Erwin shouted, loudly enough for Mike and, hopefully, Nanaba to hear him from outside. 

He thumbed the trigger of his gear, shooting a wire out the window and lodging itself into a building across the street, then zoomed out into the night air in a familiar rush. Six months ago, he would have never imagined, maybe never even attempted, to use the gear in this way, in a city, with buildings for anchors instead of trees. Witnessing Levi, however, maneuvering deftly through the Underground had convinced him that it could be done.

Behind him he could hear Hange curse, and then heard the buzz of her equipment as she followed. 

Mike was a block ahead, tailing the man as he ran out towards the main road. It was obvious they would be able to catch up with him, but the question was – how could they take him down? Erwin hit the gas on his gear and flung himself forward, pulling up along Mike.

“We need to flank him!” Erwin shouted over the rush of wind in their faces. 

Across the street, Erwin spotted Nanaba come running over the rooftops towards them. Instead of engaging her gear, though, she was gesturing exaggeratedly, pointing down the road. Erwin looked over the buildings at the spot where she was indicating and saw a big horse galloping at full speed down the street, with a much smaller-than-expected rider clutching his mount’s mane.

There was no time. The horse wouldn’t be able to avoid hitting Cheever’s man, nor would the man realize the danger before he rounded the corner and it was too late. Erwin shot off towards the horse, twisting mid-air to change direction, and implanted a wire on the far side of the street with a push of the trigger. He swung in low and, with considerable force, collected the young rider and lifted him with him out of harm’s way before the horse made contact.

He didn’t need to see to know what happened next. With a sickening crunch of hoof and bone, the horse slammed into the man at top speed, letting loose a high-pitched squeal as she stumbled over his considerable mass. Erwin turned back for a split second to see the aftermath – the cobblestones were smeared with gore, blood and brains and bits of bone. The horse tripped free and staggered off down the street as Hange and Nanaba converged on the unmoving body.

Erwin turned, shielding the boy he had saved from a similar fate from the bloody scene. Mike landed a few steps away and trotted up.

“Eli!” Mike sounded just as surprised to see the boy as Erwin felt.

“Heya, he’s dead!” Hange shouted from the road.

Eli looked up at Erwin, tired and clearly overwrought. “Erwin – the MPs took Levi away. I know where they are, but you have to come quick!”

Erwin squeezed Eli’s arms in a tight grip, still feeling the surge of adrenaline. Eli, for his part, seemed either unphased by or oblivious to the near-miss that had just occurred.

“Good work,” Erwin said, controlling his anxiety and focusing on the next step. “Now, tell us all about where they took Levi.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading along with me people. I am envisioning probably 4-5 more chapters before I wrap this up. There will, of course, be some reunion sex involved. Yay!
> 
> P.S. Raise your hand if Chapter 72 fucked you up.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Erwin leads his team on their mission to free Levi.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I managed to squeak this chapter in before I hit the one-month mark! Thank you all for reading, leaving kudos and comments, and I greatly appreciate your patience.

Eli vibrated with nerves, spitting out half-sentences as he rushed to explain everything to Erwin. He started at the end—describing with pride how he had stolen a horse from the MPs, and sabotaged the rest of the saddles to thwart pursuit—then worked his way backwards, eventually explaining how the MPs had moved Levi from his makeshift prison in town to the much more secure location out in the forest beyond Wall Rose.

Mike stood with Erwin, shoulder-to-shoulder, helping to block the boy’s view of the road. Behind them, Hange and Nanaba muttered to each other in hushed tones, trying to quickly contain the grisly scene that the boy had unwittingly helped bring about. It was obvious Eli hadn’t registered what had happened, too caught up with the excitement as he rambled on and on to the two men about how exciting it had been to hang suspended underneath the wagon on the ride out from Karanese.

“We have to go back and get Levi! The Major said she would be back by morning and…and…” Eli suddenly swayed on his feet with nearly-spent adrenaline, the lateness of the hour and the exertion finally catching up to him as he neared the end of his tale. Suddenly his eyes went wide and he stood up stick-straight, clearly recalling another detail from the night’s events. “Cheever said he wanted to hang Levi! He called him a blast – a blasf –” 

“Blasphemer,” Mike completed for him.

“Yeah, that’s it! A blastfemer. But the Major said her boss wanted him alive, and that her boss’ orders came straight from the King!”

Erwin and Mike exchanged meaningful glances. What business did the King have with any of this? It had to be a mistake. The royals almost never took an interest in the day-to-day affairs of the people, especially not those beyond the Interior. Why would the King care about a shopkeeper’s murder? Erwin considered the possibility that it could be any one of a number of things that drew his attention: the involvement of the Wall Cult, the death of a businessman known for supplying the military, or even the alleged involvement of a man who once lived in the Underground. Regardless of the reason, the royals taking an interest in this affair was anything but beneficial. 

Before Erwin could question the boy further, Hange gave a shout from the street behind them. “Oy, Erwin! He’s too big for me and Nana, you guys are going to have to move him!”

Erwin cringed at Hange’s lack of volume control, and hoped it was late enough that most people wouldn’t bother getting out of their beds to see what was going on. Having to explain the dead thug in the road – not to mention the dead Captain inside the house – would be a time-consuming affair, and right now they didn’t have the luxury of delaying any further if they were to go after Levi. 

“Eli, stay here,” Erwin commanded, as he turned to assist his companions with the mess. 

“Yeah, kid, you don’t need to see this,” Mike echoed, and trotted off after Erwin to the other side of the road.

“Wait, see what?” Eli called through the darkness. He trailed along behind them, childish curiosity overwhelming any sense he had for following orders. 

By the time he caught up with them, Erwin and Mike were already grabbing the man’s arms and legs and lifting him up off the ground with a collective grunt of effort. Hange stepped in to lift the corpse at its midsection, preventing the body from scraping along the cobblestone, but even despite the three sets of hands there was nothing they could do to keep the dead man’s head from lolling sickeningly. Nanaba tried to get in between Eli and the body, but it was already too late – he ducked around her, eyes wide as he took in the scene unfolding in front of him.

“Nanaba, keep Eli back,” Erwin instructed with a grunt as they mounted the stairs. He had already borne witness to the death of his grandfather; there was no need for him to bear witness to even more gruesome death. As they finagled the body through the door, Erwin glanced back and saw to his relief that Eli hadn’t made any move to follow.

They deposited Cheever’s man on the carpet just inside the door and covered him with a cloth. Erwin figured there was no sense in trying to hide him – if Cheever and his gang came looking, they would find him whether he was right inside the door or stashed away someplace upstairs. 

Hange gave the body a swift kick. “Serves you right.”

Mike snorted. “Hope they all get what’s coming to them.”

Erwin led the way back outside, still mulling over the state of things. Eli was where they had left him, standing in the street and looking like the gravity of the night’s events were finally catching up to him. Nanaba rested a hand on his small shoulder, but he didn’t even seem to notice. 

Erwin walked up to him and crouched down to speak softly to him. “We were trying to catch that man when you struck him with your horse, you know. If it hadn’t been for you, he might have gotten away.” It wasn’t strictly true – they would have cornered him and subdued him within minutes even if Eli hadn’t unintentionally intervened – but bending the truth a little for the sake of a boy’s mental health seemed like the least of his sins.

Eli’s face twisted miserably as he held back tears. “Was that…?” He looked away as he let out a choked sob, unable to finish his thought.

“He was one of Cheever’s gang,” Erwin confirmed gently.

The boy’s eyes flicked back to meet Erwin’s. A range of emotion flashed across his face: first anger, then grief, before finally settling into a hard sort of resolve Erwin had only ever seen before on the faces of veteran soldiers. The transformation was unnerving.

“I’m glad then.” 

Mike let out a long breath through his nose. Erwin wasn’t sure what else he could say. He felt, for an odd moment, like he was watching himself looking down at Eli, and was reminded of himself at about the same age standing over his father’s freshly dug grave. He felt a small twinge of guilt. Perhaps he should mourn for the loss of Eli’s childhood innocence, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that it was just, that it was right, that Eli had played a part in the death of that man.

He gave the boy’s arm a squeeze, then stood and turned to his squad. “Let’s retrieve our horses. We need to make good time if we’re to rescue Levi before dawn.”

As they made their way together down the hill, towards the fountain where they had tied up their mounts, Erwin thought over and over again of what it could possibly mean to have drawn the King’s attention. He had hoped that Sarah would be back by morning with Nile, and together they could officially lay this incident to rest, clearing Levi’s name and arresting Cheever, Floren, and any other culpable parties in the process. Now he wasn’t sure it would be that easy, but he sure as hell wasn’t going to leave Levi to an uncertain fate. There was nothing else he could do but proceed as planned. Erwin would just have to deal with the greater ramifications later. 

~*~

Eli’s directions were fragmented, seeing as he observed the entire trip hanging underneath a cart, but even so they didn’t have any trouble finding the overgrown path that branched off from the main road. Erwin led them into a cluster of trees and had them dismount, then started instructing Eli on where he should hide himself until they returned.

“What?!” the boy squawked, as soon as he realized Erwin was planning on leaving him behind. “You can’t just leave me here! I can help!”

Erwin shook his head, resolute. “You’ve done enough for one day.”

“He’s right, kiddo,” Mike concurred, putting a big hand on his shoulder. “Plus, we need someone to watch the horses, and it’d be better if none of us had to stay behind.”

Eli frowned and kicked at the dirt. “OK. I’ll stay.”

They spent a few minutes preparing, double-checking their harness straps and gas tanks, and then set off on foot. Moonlight shone through the spindly trees, illuminating their way forward but also cloaking them in shadow. Erwin relayed instructions to his team as they made their way uphill.

“If we go in hard and quick we may be able to avoid unnecessary bloodshed,” his voice was a low whisper, loud enough for them to hear as they moved with him stealthily through the trees. “We’ve no way of knowing whether these soldiers are innocent victims or otherwise, but we don’t exactly have the luxury of asking each of them personally, so we have to take the offensive. Use non-deadly tactics as much as possible, but if you find yourself in mortal danger do not hold back.”

“Erwin, we’re running out of time,” Hange hissed. “It’ll be dawn soon.”

“We’ll be long gone by dawn.”

Within a few minutes they spotted a torch flickering the distance, signaling their arrival. They all dropped into a crouch and crept closer towards the light source, cautious not to rattle their gear and draw unwanted attention. Erwin could hear Mike give his signature deep inhale.

“Can you tell how many?” Erwin asked, keeping his voice low as they crept closer.

“No, they’re too close together and in too close a space. If I had to guess…five. Maybe seven. Levi is definitely in there.”

“You can distinguish Levi’s scent in all that? Mike that is fascinating!” Hange exclaimed.

“Yeah well he hasn’t bathed in a few days and he smells like…” Mike glanced over at Erwin, then clearly changed his mind about what he was going to say. “Let’s just say he has a unique smell.”

“Amazing! Do I have a unique smell?”

“Hange, you have the strongest smell of anyone I’ve ever met.”

“Oh! How wonderful!”

“I don’t think that was a compliment, Squad Leader,” Nanaba muttered, a smile in her tone.

“Alright, cut the chatter.” Erwin commanded, holding back a smirk. They were a few steps back from the edge of the forest, looking out into a clearing where the stone building was situated, hidden in shadow. Erwin could see now that Eli’s description of the place hadn’t been entirely accurate: attached to the stonework building was an old lookout tower, tall enough to peek over the trees. It had clearly fallen into disuse, as so many old military outposts had, and looked run down.

A lone soldier wearing an MP uniform paced back and forth, matching the length of the building with each pass. It was hard to be sure from their vantage point, but Erwin thought he looked alert – nothing like the young soldier Erwin had encountered yesterday who could barely stand up straight as he stood watch. 

Erwin locked eyes with Mike and gave him a nod, sending him off to skirt the tree line and intercept the guard. With another gesture he sent Nanaba in the opposite direction to scout, leaving him and Hange with a clear view. Hange leaned in close, tracking the soldier with a vicious gleam in her eyes.

“Remember – we want to try to subdue them, not kill them.” Erwin whispered.

“Yeah, yeah, I remember. This guy doesn’t look drugged though.”

Erwin nodded and they fell silent, watching as the soldier marched with precision to the edge of the building. He turned on his heel and headed off in the other direction, but before he could get far Mike burst from the nearby underbrush and wrapped a huge arm around the man’s neck. The soldier was caught off guard, and his attempt to call for help came out as a strangled gurgle, too quiet for anyone inside to hear. The muscles in Mike’s forearm rippled as he squeezed, putting the man out cold in a matter of seconds. He dragged the body out of sight into the forest and then reappeared a moment later, giving Erwin a wave to signal the all-clear.

“Let’s go.”

Erwin and Hange hustled forward together, crossing the open space between the forest’s edge and the building. He heard the familiar zipping noise of the maneuvering gear as they ran, announcing Nanaba’s arrival as she took up position on the low rooftop next to the tower. 

Hange gave him an excited smile as they paused outside the door. They were probably outnumbered, and were assaulting a fortified position with little advanced planning, but still Erwin would stake his bets on his squad over the MPs any day of the week.

In one smooth movement, Erwin swung the door open wide and rushed in, Hange close on his heels. There was a soldier right inside the door, sitting behind a desk, who was up and swinging almost instantly. Erwin threw his weight into a forceful punch, catching him off-guard and sending him reeling back into the wall. Hange skirted in from behind, expertly landing a kick to their opponent before Erwin could take another swing. The soldier cracked his head on the wall and slumped to the floor, unconscious.

With the immediate threat subdued, Erwin took a moment to reconnoiter the ground level. The room they were in was nothing more than an entryway that had been set up as a small office; stairs led up to the tower and down, with torches lining the stonework walls in both directions. A narrow hallway led to the ground-level building, but it was dark and pretty obviously only being used for storage. Erwin guessed that if they were holding Levi somewhere it would probably be below ground, so he sent Hange to the stairs leading up, intent on searching the lower layers personally.

“Watch your back,” she said, then bounded up out of sight, steps echoing after her.

Erwin hugged the wall as he took the stairs down two at a time. The air grew cool and damp as the stairs spiraled down, seemingly endlessly, and soon he found himself enveloped in silence. It was peculiar finding a structure with such a deep underground chamber, but Erwin couldn’t waste energy pondering what significance the place must have held for it to warrant such a unique design. He filed it away in his mind, for revisiting later.

He reached an octagonal landing and suddenly felt a breeze blowing up at him from below. There was a faint sound of movement, metal scraping against stone, and muted voices, and Erwin rushed down the final stretch of staircase towards the source. As he reached the bottom and angled himself stealthily towards the open archway leading into the dungeon, he could hear Levi’s cool tone, accompanied by the heavy clanking of chains.

“You’re a lameass coward if you’re going to kill ‘em while they can’t fight back. Why don’t you come here and I’ll give you a real fight, scrawny runt.” Erwin couldn’t help the wry smile that crossed his face at Levi’s ineloquent threat. 

“Who you calling scrawny? You know, if my boss hadn’t explicitly stated he wanted you alive I would ring your tiny little neck –”

“I’m so fucking sick of hearing about your stupid prick of a boss, I can’t wait for him to get here so I can spit in his goddamned eye.”

Erwin peeked around the corner, just quick enough to catch a glimpse of the dungeon. Levi’s cell was at the far end of the room, a good 50 or so feet away, and Erwin could see he was chained hand and foot to the wall, almost completely immobilized. The lone MP was a few steps closer to Erwin, apparently in the midst of opening another cell, but he was so distracted by Levi’s haranguing that he was fumbling with his keys. Inside the cell, Erwin could make out the forms of two people, on their feet but slumped against the cell walls for support. 

Levi rattled his chains again, driving his hands hard against the stone for maximum volume. “Hey!! What did I say! Come here and fucking fight me, limp dick!”

The MP growled suddenly and turned away from his task, advancing towards Levi’s cell.

“Yeah, that’s right, come and get it!” Levi sounded almost gleeful as he kept clanking his restraints as noisily as possible. 

It was like Levi was creating the perfect distraction for him, although Erwin knew he couldn’t have possibly seen his arrival in the dungeon. The only explanation, he thought, was that Levi was trying to buy time for the people in the cell—why, Erwin couldn’t be sure, but that was good enough for him to know that he shouldn’t wait for another opportunity to attack. He slipped out from the entryway into the dungeon and bolted straight for the guard at top speed.

Levi couldn’t hide his shock at Erwin’s sudden appearance. His narrow eyes went wide and his mouth gaped open, but the MP wasn’t quick enough to turn and see what his captive was gawking at before Erwin intercepted him. He grabbed the man in a bear hug, bowling him over to the floor, and pulled back at the last second to land one well-placed jut of the heel of his palm to the man’s chin. He let out a yelp and knocked his head backwards against the hard floor, then fell limp and silent under Erwin’s pinning weight.

“Erwin!” Levi called out.

“Levi, are you hurt?” Erwin scooped up the soldier’s keys and raced to unlock Levi’s cell. 

“No more than I was when I got here.” 

Erwin started with the manacles binding Levi’s wrists, focusing on the chains. He suddenly felt awkward, bashful almost, being so close to him. The past hours he had been consumed with thought for his welfare; to see him now again, and to remember where they had left off right before Levi had been taken, was a lot of human emotion for him to process all at once.

Levi remained silent, but Erwin could feel him watching his every move as he bent to undo the shackles around his ankles.

“We need to move fast. Major Floren could be back any minute, with reinforcements.”

Levi started off out of the cell, stepping over the unconscious body of his former guard. “We need to take them with us,” he said, stopping outside the cell of the two other prisoners.

Erwin joined him at the door and looked over the two men. They were alert, but ill, and appeared almost drunk as they wobbled in place. The one closest to the door looked up at Levi, pain etched in his features.

“We owe you one.”

Erwin was shocked when he got a clear look at the man’s face. It was the young, dark-haired man who had been guarding the door to the temporary MPs base back in Karanese.

Erwin started to raise an objection, but Levi cut him off.

“They’re OK, Erwin. They were being controlled.”

How Levi could be certain of that fact, Erwin wasn’t sure, but he trusted him enough to turn the key in the lock and swing open the cell door. The soldier in the back, a young blonde-haired man, gave a weak salute as his companion clutched the bar of the cell and wretched.

“Gross.” Levi crossed his arms and turned his lip up in distaste.

“Sir, thank you…We were…we didn’t mean to…”

He staggered a pace forward, and Erwin put out a hand to steady him.

“They were better earlier. They were yelling at the guard with me for a while, but then they started to get sick.” Levi slid under the arm of the blonde-haired soldier, supporting him as they exited the cell.

“What’s your name, soldier? Where were you stationed?” Erwin asked of the other man.

“Gunther Schultz, sir. My friend is Eld Jinn. We were with Captain Banners in Ehrmich District, but then he brought us along out here and…honestly, I’m having trouble remembering everything that happened…,” he trailed off, obviously slightly distressed. 

“He saved us,” the man named Eld said, inclining his head in Levi’s direction as he hauled him towards the stairs.

“I didn’t do shit, just kept him busy for a while.”

“He would have killed us if you hadn’t done that,” Gunther spoke up.

As they reached the bottom of the stairs, Hange suddenly appeared. “Heya! Erwin, we’ve got the place on lock down, but—hey now! What’s going on here?” Hange bent to examine Eld’s face invasively. “Are these the MPs you saw earlier that exhibited signs of being drugged?”

“That’s them, Hange.”

She nearly squealed with delight. “Fantastic! I can study the properties and effects much better with live subjects! Tell me, when was the last time you ingested the drug? I need to know about your symptoms.” 

“Hey, shitty glasses, leave them be, they’ve had a rough time.” Levi snarled as he pushed past her.

Mike arrived then, Nanaba in tow. Levi was starting to shake almost imperceptibly, Erwin noticed, but Mike took on the burden of supporting Eld and he straightened up again, so quick that no one else noticed. Erwin suspected Levi hadn’t been telling the truth about being unscathed since the day before and felt concern swell again in his chest. 

It was awkward walking the two sick men up the stairs, but they hastened along as best they could and soon escaped into the cool air. The first rays of sunlight were starting to peek through the trees as they hustled off, back into the forest. Erwin looked over his shoulder more than once as they moved in formation down the hill, but there was no pursuit and no sound of anyone approaching from any direction.

It was a whirlwind when they got back to their horses a few minutes later, Eli jumping up and down with excitement at first at Levi’s return, then hurling accusations at the two MPs they had brought along. Mike scooped the boy up with one hand and threw him up on his horse, effectively ending the argument, as Hange helped Nanaba get Gunther in the saddle of Nanaba’s mount. Erwin climbed on top of his own horse and put his hand out for Levi. 

Levi balked, but only for a second, and only for show. He took Erwin’s outstretched hand and settled himself in the saddle in front of him. Erwin wrapped his cloak around them both, pulling him tighter to him. If anyone noticed his hand on Levi’s thigh, or the slight way Levi leaned back against him, they didn’t say a thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to get this out of draft hell...I may go back tomorrow and make sure there are no mistakes still! I have probably raised a bunch of vague hints/questions at this point, but I do plan on wrapping them all up for you lovely readers in the near future. :) There are still a few chapters to go before this is done!


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They arrive back in Karanese, but there will be no rest until this matter is settled.

The ride back to Karanese was almost as hurried as the ride out had been, only this time they moved considerably slower since there were two people to each horse.  Mike took point, his large frame serving as a protective shield over Eli who, despite everything, still looked like he was ready for a fight.  Hange and Nanaba rode side by side, each with their respective charge, a few feet behind Mike and Eli. Erwin could hear Hange leveling an endless barrage of questions at Eld about his condition, his memories, and what he could recall of how they had been drugged.  It was obvious that the young man’s condition was improving with each passing minute and, although Erwin couldn’t hear the substance of his replies, he was clearly doing his best to answer all of Hange’s questions.

Erwin and Levi took fell to the rear of their formation, keeping an eye out for pursuit.  It was the most dangerous position, but they were the two least vulnerable members of their company at the moment, even taking into account Erwin’s weakened shoulder and whatever injuries Levi had sustained.

About fifteen minutes out from Karanese, the horse gave a sharp pull to the right to avoid a pothole in the road, jostling them, and Erwin could feel Levi tense in the saddle in front of him.

“What did they do to you?” Erwin half-shouted into his ear over the noise of the wind. 

Levi’s face looked a shade paler than usual, but he grit his teeth and raised his voice so Erwin could hear.  “I told you, it’s nothing.”

“I can tell you’re lying, you know.”

Levi braced himself on the horn of the saddle and shifted so that more of his weight leaned back against Erwin’s chest.  “I’ll be fine.”

They passed through the gate to Karanese within the hour.  A middle-aged, friendly looking Garrison soldier gave them a wave from his post, indicating that they should slow down.  Erwin urged his horse forward, passing the rest of his team to speak to the man first.

“Hey, there. You all look like you’ve been in some trouble.  Care to explain what’s going on?”

Erwin inclined his head in a polite nod, unable to salute with Levi blocking him, and introduced himself.  “Squad Leader Erwin Smith.  It’s a long story, but I have people here who need medical attention, and I’ve also called for backup from the Military Police who should be here any time now. Can you please inform your superior, and send a squad to the Bird and Baby Inn? I’ll explain everything there.”

The man cast his gaze curiously over Erwin and the odd assemblage of people before him.  Erwin knew how they looked, ragged and out-of-place, and only hoped that their appearance wouldn’t arouse too much interest.  At last, the man apparently thought better of making a big scene and gave a wave of his hands, shooing them inside the Gate.  “I’ll make sure they send someone.  May be a bit though; no one is usually up this early.”

Erwin thanked him perfunctorily and snapped his horse’s reigns, riding off.  With any luck, the Garrison’s complacency would work in his favor, and they wouldn’t find the bodies of Captain Banners and Cheever’s right-hand man until after he’d had the opportunity to explain what had happened. With Eli and, now, Eld and Gunther, to support his version of events, he felt confident that clearing Levi of Gerhard’s murder was guaranteed—he just needed to bide his time until Nile arrived with the authority to shut down the rogue MP operation.

They took a roundabout route of lesser traveled streets and alleys, trying to avoid drawing attention.  Erwin let out a quiet sigh of relief when they rounded a corner and the familiar tall peaks of the Inn came into view.

“Glad to be home?” Levi asked, a hint of his usual sarcasm in his voice.

“It does feel that way, doesn’t it?”  He kept his voice low, so only his riding companion could hear.  Levi didn’t respond, but by the way he let out a soft breath, Erwin thought he agreed.

Erwin brought them in through the rear entrance of the stable.  Wide-eyed stable hands scampered off into the murky darkness, and by the time they were dismounting the master had appeared with an organized team of workers.  As their horses were led into stalls, Erwin motioned for everyone to gather around him.  It was clear they were all tired, even young Eli, but there was nothing he could do to change the fact that they weren’t out of danger yet.

 “I know it’s been a long night, but we can’t risk complacency now.  With any luck, Nile should be arriving soon, and we’ll be able to wrap this entire affair up.  In the meantime, Hange—I know you’re anxious to examine Eld and Gunther, but Levi’s injuries need attention first.

 Levi crossed his arms and made an annoyed noise low in his throat.  “I told you, I’m fine.”

 “You’re not, and Hange is going to take a look at you.”  They locked eyes for a long moment, a silent battle of wills, but Erwin could see there was no fight left in Levi.  The diminutive man rolled his eyes and shrugged, muttering something about Hange needing to wash her hands before she came near him.

 “Nanaba, I want you on guard inside the Inn.  Mike, you patrol the outskirts of the plaza and let us know if you see anyone coming.  I’ll take the front entrance –”

 “Erwin, you need rest,” Mike stated firmly, cutting him short.

 “Yeah, Erwin, you’re about to collapse again,” Hange added.

 Levi turned and almost glared at Erwin.  “What does she mean, ‘again’?”

Erwin opened his mouth to protest, but their attention was drawn by the sound of an angry crowd coming into earshot.  Erwin was off in an instant towards the front of the stable and source of the noise, everyone else following closely behind without needing to be told. 

He stopped short at the entrance, behind the stable master who had made it there before them and was already watching what was unfolding in the plaza with an angry scowl.  It was Cheever, standing-up in the back of a horse-drawn cart driven by his two remaining gang members, leading a slew of other young people towards the Inn.  They were shouting, waving their fists and makeshift weapons as they surged forward.  An even larger crowd of curious onlookers from all over the surrounding area amassed behind them, the collective sound of hundreds of murmured questions adding to the din.

The cart came to a lurching halt a few feet from the front door.  Cheever grinned, looking almost feral in his excitement at the prospect of whatever he was planning, and started shouting for the Innkeeper.  Ruediger was outside in a flash, his son-in-law Ian a step behind him, both looking out on the crowd with righteous anger and, Erwin thought, no small amount of fear.

“What is the meaning of this, boy? You and your friends are no longer welcome here – for good reason!”

Cheever gave a slow, theatrical laugh.  “Old man, I wouldn’t be caught DEAD drinking in your establishment! A place that shelters those murderous bastards that call themselves the Survey Corps!”

Ruediger’s face puffed up and he lunged down the stairs, sputtering an angry retort in Cheever’s direction that was lost to the noise of the crowd. Ian grabbed hold of him by his shirttail and kept him in place, although the man continued to tug and pull as if he would take on Cheever and his gang single-handedly if allowed the opportunity.

“That’s right! You all heard right!” Cheever turned his back to Ruediger to address the crowd, clearly unworried by the old man’s promise to throttle him.  “Two nights ago, two Survey Corps soldiers arrived at this Inn.  It was from here that they began an orchestrated killing spree across the District, starting with the shopkeeper Gerhard, and ending with my dear friend Jacques.”  There was a surprised gasp from the crowd. 

Erwin could hear Levi practically growl behind him.  “That piece of fucking shit….”

With a dramatic flourish, Cheever turned an outstretched hand back towards Ruediger.  “And this man welcomed them with open arms! Tell us, Innkeeper, where are those criminals now? Do you hide them still?” 

All eyes in the square were fixed forward, waiting for the man’s reply.  Erwin, afraid that Ruediger was going to get himself beaten, or worse, took the lull as the opportunity to intervene, stepping out from the darkness of the stable into the plaza.

“Bolton Cheever!” Erwin called out, pitching his voice so the throng could hear.  “ _You_ are the only criminal I know of here!”

He could sense his friends move into formation behind him; Levi on his right, Hange on his left, Mike and Nanaba fanning out behind, in a display of military synchronicity that had Cheever’s small band of supporters looking suddenly spooked.  Cheever’s face dropped when he heard Erwin’s voice, and Rudi finally stopped fighting against his son-in-law’s grip and stared, openly surprised to be witnessing Erwin’s apparent return from out of thin air. 

“Lies!” Cheever shouted, recovering quickly from the sudden setback. “I have eyewitnesses who saw that man,” he thrust a finger in Levi’s direction, “kill the storekeeper and light fire to it to hide the evidence of his crime!”

The crowd gasped again, this time taking on an angry tenor.  Erwin felt a momentary wave of disgust roll over him as he thought about how malleable people were whenever a persuasive voice rose up to tell them how to think.

_Well_ , he thought,  _I have been known to be pretty persuasive._

“ _This_ man is humanity’s strongest soldier! He has single-handedly taken down over 50 Titans in the six months since he was recruited into our ranks.  His skill is equal to that of an entire regiment of soldiers, and it is with his strength and his strength alone that we have been able to finally resupply our main line of exploration into the outside world!”

The onlookers were enthralled with Erwin’s short speech, and he could sense their eyes darting between him and Levi who, to his credit, was trying to stand as tall and proud as possible.

“This man did not kill Gerhard.  It was your men – Jacques, and these two here, who did it, and I have a real eyewitness to attest to that: Gerhard’s grandson, Eli, who escaped with his life only because he was able to conceal himself from these villains!”

Erwin could see that, even from a distance, his revelation had taken Cheever by surprise.  The young man’s lips curled back and his eyes flashed with anger, his composure broken.  The tide of the crowd’s opinion was turning, but if they were going to walk away from this encounter whole he needed to take Cheever and his men into custody—and quick, before violence broke out and innocent people became collateral damage.  He glanced to the end of the street, trying to will the Garrison troops to appear.

Cheever called for the crowd’s attention, his previously-controlled tone replaced by something more akin to religious fervor as he waved an accusatory fist in Erwin’s direction.  “This man is the devil taken shape, a snake, a vile creature who is not to be trusted!”

Erwin barely listened to Cheever’s litany of insults as he took a moment to assess what their next move should be.  The plaza was too wide for them to effectively use their maneuvering gear, and, besides, Levi didn’t have any.  Perhaps he could rush Cheever, take him down and hope that the crowd would disperse, although the chances for collateral damage to innocent bystanders was high. 

In the meantime, Cheever kept up his heated tirade. “He plucked this so-calledH ‘humanity’s strongest soldier’ from the sewer under Sina, and is using him as a prop, to coerce the nobility into spending more money on their doomed expeditions!  The goddesses of the Walls doom this man to eternal torment for all he has done, I am certain of it, as I am certain that the Walls protect us from the Titans!”

Erwin felt his squad shift on their feet around him, subtly bracing themselves in case the situation erupted.  The weight of Cheever’s accusations struck him, and for a moment he was unable to think of anything else.  The tone of his claims was all wrong, but technically it was the truth: Erwin had recruited Levi for his strength, had recognized its worth immediately, and hadn’t wasted any time using it.  The fact that his motives were pure did nothing to change those simple, damning facts.  He felt a surge of self-loathing so strong he actually had to swallow to move past the lump forming in his throat.

Levi shifted on his feet, and Erwin could sense his eyes on him.  He didn’t have the courage, in that moment, to acknowledge him, to see what question lurked behind Levi’s eyes, what doubt or disgust or rejection. 

_It would be deserved_ , he thought.

Hange leaned in, keeping her voice low.  “Erwin. What now?”

The sound of galloping hooves snapped him out of it, and from the right he saw a flash of movement as Major Floren rode up to the edge of the crowd, having obviously just made it in from the countryside.  She began picking her way through the crowd slowly, intent on Cheever. 

“Bolton!  You must give this up now! It’s over! I’ve been ordered to withdraw immediately!”

Cheever’s face twisted with animalistic rage.  “ _Ordered_ to  _withdraw_ ? Whose orders are important enough that you would disobey the goddesses?”

"Bolton, you know who, now stop this madness!”  The crowd parted, allowing the Major to pull her horse up only a few feet shy of the rear of the cart.  The two were almost eye to eye as they continued their argument in plain view of the crowd.

“No, Floren! I thought you were different, but I can see now you’re just as bad as them! You’d rather cater to the MPs for the sake of your precious  _career_ than accept the truth!” 

In a remarkably smooth movement, Bolton turned and grabbed hold of a pitchfork one of his followers had been brandishing and launched it at Floren.  Her eyes went wide in disbelief as the makeshift weapon caught her across the chest, sinking in deep. 

The crowd gasped and went silent, holding their breaths.  Cheever looked down at his hand, eyes wide, as rosettes of red sprung up on Floren’s white shirt, and a single, red bubble formed on her lips. 

“Shit.” Erwin heard Levi mutter beside him.

The horse bucked, throwing Floren to the side in her saddle, and the plaza erupted in movement.  Nearby onlookers scrambled to get out of the way as the now-directionless horse paced frantically, nearly trampling two of Cheever’s young followers.

“Orders?” Hange asked over the growing chaos.

“Follow me,” Erwin commanded lowly.

He plunged forward headlong towards his target, his friends moving to comply before the order had even left his lips.  The combined effect of Levi, Nanaba, Hange, and Mike moving in unison with him drove a wedge through the tumultuous crowd and, within seconds, he was directly in front of Cheever’s cart.  His supporters had scattered; only the two thugs who drove the cart remained.

Cheever was frozen in place, staring listlessly at his hand with glazed eyes.  With one long-legged stride, Erwin boosted himself over the side of the cart and grabbed hold of him by the arm.  At the last minute he tried to run, but Levi quickly blocked his escape, looking smug as he intercepted him.  Within a heartbeart, the others had captured Cheever’s two remaining lackeys.

“Give it up, Cheever.” Erwin ordered.  For a moment, panic flashed through his eyes. He looked around wildly like he might make a run for it, but as he caught sight of Floren’s now-limp form atop her horse he sunk to his knees, shoulders slumping in defeat.

Erwin set about binding Cheever’s hands behind his back with a length of rope, as Mike and Nanaba did the same to his two remaining followers. Most of the crowd of onlookers had retreated to the edge of the plaza, leaving Floren’s horse to wander in agitation, directionless.  The stablemaster appeared and, with Hange’s help, calmed the horse, and together they were lowering her body down from the saddle when a new set of hoof-beats rang out of the cobblestone, drawing everyone’s attention. 

Erwin squinted into the sun and saw Nile, riding next to his cousin Sarah, with an entire squad of soldiers in line behind him.

“Nile! This man needs to be taken into custody.”

“Well, hello to you too.”  Nile snapped, letting out an exasperated sigh.

“I’ll explain everything later.” Erwin felt embarrassed.  It had been over a year since he had seen Nile, and he hadn’t so much as written him since before Levi had joined the Corps.  Erwin thought Nile was well-aware of this state of affairs, from the look he was giving him.

“You had better.  I didn’t ride out here to take orders from you.”

Nile took over where they had left off, dispersing the crowd and hauling away Cheever and his gang. Hange disappeared back into the stable, presumably to go check in on Eld and Gunther, and Sarah dismounted and ran to reunite with her father and husband.  Eli came tearing out of the stable and wrapped his arms around her waist in a big hug, causing all three of them to look on the boy with shock that quickly dissolved into tenderness.  Mike and Nanaba trotted over to join them, getting them up to speed on what had happened in the past 24 hours.

Erwin did his best to avoid Levi’s eyes as he climbed down from the cart, feeling the weight of Cheever’s accusations from before settling over him.  He had the irrational fear that if Levi looked him in the eye, everything would finally click into place—Levi would realize how cold, how calculated Erwin had been when they had first met, would see how he used him and continued to use him, and instantly regret what had happened between them. 

“Hey, quit that shit.” Levi chided, gently kicking the side of his boot.

In his surprise, Erwin couldn’t help looking over at him, and instantly felt trapped by Levi’s scrutiny. 

“What are you talking about?” Erwin asked genuinely.

“Don’t let what that asshole said get to you.” Levi wouldn’t release him from his gaze.  Erwin clenched his jaw uncomfortably, unused to anyone being able to read his well-controlled emotions as easily as Levi did.  He wanted to tell him that everything Cheever had said had been wrong, but the thought of denying his claims made his stomach churn.

He paused, looking down at the ground.  “I did all those things, though. He…wasn’t wrong.” Erwin braced for Levi’s realization, waited for the rebuke, but it didn’t come.

“ _Tch_ .” Levi spat.  “Erwin – I know what we’re about. Don’t act all guilty like you’re, I dunno, tricking me into something.”

Erwin’s eyes went a little wider and his chest expanded from taking in a too-deep breath. “I’d like to kiss you right now.”

Levi’s lips curled up at the edges ever-so-slightly.  “Wait until we get inside at least, shit.”

Erwin was positive that if any of his squad mates had walked up at that moment they would have seen the completely smitten look on his face, and would have never let him live it down.

Movement at the corner of his eye drew his attention away, bringing him back to his senses.  Erwin turned to see that there was a man on the rooftop of one of the buildings, tall and lanky, with a wide-brimmed fedora hat.  The sun was at his back, so his face was not visible, but Erwin thought he caught the scruff of a beard.  Levi’s head jerked, eyes instantly finding the mysterious man.  He gave a quick, shocked inhalation of breath.

“Do you recognize him?” Erwin probed.

The man gave them a quick wave that turned into a loose salute to the forehead, then dropped off the far side of the building out of sight.

Levi’s face relaxed as the man disappeared. “No…no. He reminded me of someone, but it can’t be him. One of Nile’s?”

“I’m not so sure.”  Erwin fell a tingle at the base of his skull, an almost prescient feeling that he sometimes got at odd moments, and thought back to what Floren had said before she’d been killed about having been ordered to withdraw. 

“I’m going to talk to Nile.  You get Hange to take a look at you. I think we’ll stay the night, get back to base tomorrow. Let the others know.”

Levi nodded, professionalism returned, and went off to find Hange, leaving Erwin alone in the plaza, looking up at the empty rooftops uneasily.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for your lovely comments and kudos, it means a lot to me. <3 This Chapter was listed as "Showdown at the Inn" for a long time haha. I sort of like the idea of villains being their own downfall, and that's what I was kinda trying to do here with Cheever on a smaller scale. Also I can't help the fact that this fic is a poor-attempt at an ode to Erwin Smith because I seriously just adore this character.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Erwin wants to clear Levi's name for good, and he needs Nile's help to do so.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the delay on this chapter -- I got a little caught up in Erwin Week :3 To make up for it, this chapter is over 4k words long!

Nile and his squad of MPs were much needed backup, and to everyone else milling around the plaza it seemed like the situation was finally in hand.  Erwin thought that he should feel relieved, but after two days of chaos, when it had been all he could do to just keep up as things fell to shit around him, he still couldn’t shake feeling unsettled.  Floren was dead, Cheever and his remaining cronies hauled off to prison, but seeing that man on the rooftop had given Erwin the distinct impression that this whole affair wasn’t over yet.  On top of that, he was operating with almost no information – a common enough occurrence, he supposed, although in this situation his failure to get ahead of the game had already cost people their lives. 

The guilt was a familiar friend, something that settled over him, becoming a part of him.  He was self-aware enough to recognize that it was unreasonable to take on so much responsibility, but he had spun it around himself so tightly over the course of so many years that there was no way to break free of it now.  He had a list in his head that he repeated over and over to himself in times like these—a list of names that began with his father and now, most recently, ended with Gerhard.

People still buzzed around, telling friends and neighbors who had been unlucky enough to miss the excitement what had transpired.  Erwin could tell that more than one set of eyes was on him as he snaked his way towards the MPs gathering at the far edge of the plaza.  He found Nile in the middle of the group of soldiers, doling out orders like an annoyed schoolteacher.

Erwin caught Nile’s eye and pulled him away from eavesdropping ears to inform him of the two bodies they would find in the abandoned house a few blocks away.  Nile narrowed his eyes, listening intently, and then turned to send off a small team to make the recovery without saying anything at all to Erwin.  After he’d finished, Erwin cocked his head towards the Inn and headed off. Nile took a couple of quick steps to catch up so he wasn’t walking in Erwin’s wake and followed him inside.

Inside, Ruediger was giving his own set of orders to his staff.  It appeared he was closing the Inn to all but the military, and was busying the cooks and the porters with making sure their Survey Corps and MP guests were comfortable.  When he saw Erwin and Nile, he rushed over and insisted that they use his office for their official debriefing. 

A moment later and Erwin was closing the door behind them.  Nile paced to the other end of the cramped room, his irritation obvious.

“Thank you for coming,” Erwin stated simply.

“Erwin, shit! It’s been a _year_ without so much as a word from you, and all of a sudden you send your cousin after me, demanding immediate assistance? What did you think I would do? Of course I came!”  Nile looked exasperated as he ran a hand back through his hair, making a mess of it. 

Erwin crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back against Ruediger’s desk, letting an awkward moment of silence pass.  Time had never fully healed the rift between them; at least, that was how Erwin felt, although Nile never seemed to really notice.

“It’s been a busy year.  With Levi, our missions outside the Walls have seen better results these past few months, and I’ve had a lot on my plate working up budget requests and planning expeditions.”

Nile let out an exasperated sigh. “Levi, huh? We’ve heard about him in the interior. He didn’t look all that impressive, if he was that little dark haired guy I saw you talking to earlier.”

“That’s him. You should see him fight, Nile. It’s –” Erwin took in a deep breath, prepared to go on at length about Levi’s prowess, but decided against it when he saw Nile eyeing him skeptically. “Well, believe me or don’t – he’s the reason we’ve seen such a sudden decrease in deaths and increase in successful campaigns.” 

“I heard he was a brat – disobedient, lawless. Some people are even whispering about him being a criminal.”  Nile was probing, Erwin thought; regurgitating information he’d picked up just to gauge Erwin’s reaction.

“He’s from the Underground. Everyone there gets labeled a criminal, or else they just get trampled underfoot. That’s why I needed you to come.  I need to clear his name, for good, so we don’t have the threat of legal action hanging over us going forward.”

Nile scrunched up his face in distaste, but after a moment gave a heaving sigh and told Erwin to go on.

Erwin walked him through the events that had led them up to this point – from their visit to Gerhard’s store, to Cheever’s botched attempt at taking him down, and then lastly Levi’s arrest and imprisonment with Floren’s rogue-MP cell.  He went over what he’d gleaned from Hange’s discussion with Gunther concerning Floren’s methods: some form of herbal decoction that had dulled their senses and made them passive, malleable. Nile interjected with a multitude of questions, asking about minor details, getting the full picture.  For all of the MPs incompetence, Nile did have a knack for investigations.

When he started explaining how they had stormed the old lookout tower and freed Levi, Nile clenched his fist and slammed it backwards against the wall in frustration.

“You have some balls, Erwin!  What were you thinking? Assaulting a military stronghold like a common thief. You could be court martialed!”

“It was a gamble, but I was certain it was the right call.  And if you speak to those two soldiers we freed, I think you’ll find we arrived just in time.  Their third colleague is nowhere to be found.”

Nile grit his teeth, holding back another admonishment. 

“There’s one more thing,” Erwin started, picking his words slightly more carefully.  “Gerhard’s grandson overheard Bolton and Floren discussing Levi.  Apparently, Floren said that her ‘boss’ wanted him, alive, and that those orders came straight from the King.”

Nile shrugged his soldiers, unconcerned.  “Most MPs pretend they have some sort of special favor with the King. She was puffing.”

“But earlier, right before she died, when she came riding up to Cheever, she said she was ordered to withdraw. Did you give her those orders?”

Nile pursed his lips into a thin line and stared hard at Erwin for a moment before responding.  “No.” He cocked his head in annoyance, obviously angered at the prospect.

“I see.” Erwin paused, letting Nile fester in his own thoughts.  After a moment, he started again, his tone even and cool.  “I saw someone on the rooftops, before I came and found you.  He was tall, lanky, wore a brimmed hat. He saluted me before he dropped off the roof.  One of yours?”

Nile’s face went markedly pale and he glanced away involuntarily. 

“No, not one of mine.  Might be Garrison.”

_Hiding something._

Erwin watched as Nile squirmed.  Nile kept his eyes averted from Erwin’s icy stare, then tossed a hand up in disgust after a few painful moments of cold silence.

“Don’t be such a dick, Erwin. I don’t know anything worthwhile.”

“Why don’t you tell me what it is that you know, and I’ll judge if it’s worthwhile?”

Nile scoffed and shook his head.  “I’ll look into it further when I return to the interior. That’s the best I can do.”

Erwin held his gaze for a second, but then nodded his thanks. His best bet was to wait Nile out; eventually, if it was important, Nile would divulge whatever it was he was holding back.

“There’s the matter of Levi as well.”

Nile let out a slow breath.  “Erwin, I know he’s supposed to be good and all, but –”

Erwin loomed up from his perch at the edge of the desk and cut him off.  “He isn’t just _good_ , Nile, he’s the best we’ve ever had,” he said authoritatively.  “Losing him would be catastrophic to our work. Our cause.”

“ _Your_ cause, you mean?” Nile spat.  Erwin narrowed his eyes at him but kept silent.  “Fine, then. What do you want me to do?”

“He needs a royal pardon.  I already have all the paperwork from Shadis we need to submit an official application.  I’ll draw up a letter, officially making the request – but if you were to present it, I’m sure it would be processed… _correctly_.”

“What the fuck, Erwin, you want me to speak for him? I don’t even know him!”

Erwin sighed. Sometimes Nile could be so dense.  “I don’t need you to speak for him – the paperwork should be sufficient.  I need you to grease the right palms.  I’d do it myself, but there are too many people in the capital that don’t want to deal with me.  You’ll have better chances of success. I’ll reimburse you.”

Nile shook his head in disgust and paced across the room in disgust towards the door.  “I’ll send you a bill, successful or not.”  He pulled open the door and walked out in a huff.

His business, for the time being, was concluded with Nile, and Erwin found he was eager to get some rest.  He climbed the stairs, feet scraping the wood in his exhaustion, and went for the room he and Levi had shared two nights before.  He pushed open the door quietly, hoping he would find Levi inside, but could tell right away that the room was empty.  Levi was probably still getting looked over by Hange.

He stripped off his jacket and sat down heavily on the edge of the bed, pulling off his boots with a sigh of relief.  He fell back on the bed, and as his eyes fell shut he thought about how he really ought to get up and remove his harness, but he couldn’t will his body to comply before he drifted into sleep.

~*~

Erwin woke up slow, disoriented by the darkness that shrouded his room.  He fumbled to light a lantern and sat on the edge of the bed for a minute, rubbing the stubble that was starting to become noticeable after a few days of not having time to shave. He changed his clothes and splashed water on his face.  A shave would have to wait until he was back at headquarters; for now, he’d have to settle for looking scruffy.

He went to the small writing desk tucked in the corner of the room and searched the drawers for some paper and ink.  The words came easily, mostly formalities that went with any correspondence to the Capital, only with a little more pomp given that he was drafting a request for an official pardon.  He wrote slowly, carefully, in his finest looping penmanship, extolling Levi’s virtues as a soldier and vouching for his character personally.  When it was done, he blew on the page to make sure it was dry beforing folding it in the envelope along with Commander Shadis’ recommendation.

With that settled, he left his room and headed downstairs, eager to find any members of his squad that might still be awake.  As he emerged into the entryway, he could hear music coming from the tavern, and he made his way to the service entrance towards the back of the room, so he could enter unnoticed.

Ruediger had stayed true to his plan – it was obvious the tavern was closed to all but the Survey Corps.  Sarah and Ian were up on the dais, Ian with his fiddle accompanying Sarah as she sang a sweet, uplifting tune.  His friends had drawn up several of the small round tables and arrayed them in a semi-circle around the little stage.  Ruediger and Nile were there too, and everyone seemed to be nursing mugs of something hot.

Erwin leaned against the door frame, taking it in for a moment. As if sensing him, Levi turned a little in his chair and caught Erwin’s eye, but he stayed quiet and turned back to his mug without giving him away.

When Sarah finished her song everyone applauded, Erwin loudest of all.

“Oi! Erwin! How long have you been standing there?” she said breathlessly.  He walked up and took a seat at the end of the row of tables, next to Levi. 

“Long enough to enjoy your song.”

“That’s my girl, the best voice in all of Karanese!” Ruediger proclaimed, a wizened finger punctuating the air for emphasis.

“Father, please.” Sarah replied, rolling her eyes at him.

“Where is Eli?” Erwin asked.

“Sleeping, upstairs.  He’s exhausted.” Sarah said.  He would have to make more permanent arrangements for the boy soon, but for now he was glad he was staying with people he could trust.

Ruediger went to fetch Erwin a mug and everyone began talking all at once.  Hange gave him a report about Eld and Gunther’s condition – they were also asleep, but otherwise seemed well.  She theorized that the effects of whatever herbal substance they had been subjected to wore off if not consistently administered.  Perhaps, Erwin thought, that was the reason for murdering her former commanding officer; if Captain Banners had started to come out of the artificially-induced fog, he would have surely had a lot of questions.

“Hange, only you could get so excited about something as horrible as all this,” Nanaba said.  Erwin pursed his lips to keep from smiling.

“How can you not be excited? Floren was using methods we’ve never seen before! This sort of thing could have far reaching implications, and once I have a chance to get back to my lab equipment I intend to do a complete work-up on it all!”

“I’m curious though, Hange,” Sarah said. “How do you intend to study whatever it was Floren was feeding them? You don’t have any of it, do you?”

Mike and Nanaba groaned exaggeratedly as Hange seized upon the opportunity to talk science. She launched into a detailed accounting of how she planned to analyze the teacup she’d found at the abandoned house, along with something about urine that wasn’t altogether clear. 

Ruediger returned then with Erwin’s drink, a mulled honey mead that smelled and tasted delicious, and Nile took the opportunity to clear his throat from the other end of the table, cutting Hange short.

“Erwin, I had a chance to speak with those two soldiers earlier.  You and…Levi…made an impression on them.”  Nile paused on Levi’s name like it left a bad taste in his mouth.  Erwin glanced at Levi from the corner of his eye.  He looked like an angry cat with its back up, and Erwin wondered what was putting him on edge.

“I’m fairly certain that it was just Levi who made the impression.” Erwin smiled as he took a deep gulp from his copper mug.

If Nile picked up on Levi’s cold demeanor he didn’t show it. “Well, in any case, they’ve already asked me for approval to transfer to Survey Corps.”

Erwin’s bushy eyebrows shot up.  “That’s – unexpected.”

Levi scoffed. “Dumb shits don’t know what they’re signing up for.”

“All the kids love shorty.” Hange laughed and leaned over to pat Levi on the back.  He hunched forward to avoid her touch, but she stretched out on her tiptoes and managed a hearty slap in between his shoulder blades that made his lips press into a thin line.  Mike snorted a laugh, hair flying up from his face.

Conversation turned to lighter things, although both Erwin and Levi stayed out of it for the most part.  The silence between them felt comfortable, meaningful in a way, like despite the other people in the room the fact that they were there, together, was what mattered.

Erwin’s thoughts turned to Gerhard.  He was used to death, far more used to it than any sane person should be, but this time it was different.  Gerhard had been a friend to Survey Corps, but he wasn’t a soldier—and yet he still died for the cause.  Normally, they had a service for those that had been killed in the line of duty, but Erwin was acutely aware of the fact that Gerhard wouldn’t get that same courtesy, at least not from the military.  They would host a wake for him here in Karanese soon enough, but by then he would be back to headquarters and wouldn’t have the time to spare to return.  It didn’t feel right, not having a chance to commemorate him in some way.

Erwin caught Sarah’s eye.  “Sarah, would you and Ian play something for Gerhard?”  He glanced down the length of the table at everyone arrayed there. Only a moment ago they had been laughing together, but now they seemed stoic, in agreement with his request. 

“Perhaps you should sing instead,” she suggested gently, guiding him up from his chair. 

Erwin began to protest, but Mike spoke up in encouragement, and pretty soon everyone was adding their agreement.

“He sings?” Levi asked in his monotone voice.

“Erwin has an excellent singing voice,” Nile stated rather hotly, making more than one head turn in his direction with a frown.

Erwin took a spot in front of the dais, feeling marginally more comfortable with his feet on solid ground than if he was up on a stage.  He cleared his throat and looked back at Ian, who was waiting with his fiddle for some indication from Erwin of what he wanted him to play.

“Parting Glass?”

He gave a smile and a nod, then set to a playing a few bars of introduction.  Erwin took a deep breath and focused on Sarah.  She looked older to him that she ever had before, and he almost lost his voice on the first note as he realized she looked a little like how his mother looked when he was a boy, but then he got his composure back and started to sing. 

 

_Of all the money that e’er I had_

_I spent it in good company._

_And all the harm I’ve ever done,_

_Alas it was to none but me._

_And all I’ve done_

_For want of wit_

_To mem’ry now I can’t recall_

_So fill to me the parting glass_

_Good night and joy be to you all._

_So fill to me the parting glass_

_And drink a health wate’er befalls_

_Then gently rise and softly call_

_“Good night and joy be to you all”_

 

There was another verse, and as he went on he finally cautioned a glance at his friends. Mike had his arm draped causally over the back of Nanaba’s chair, and Hange looked like she was sitting at the very edge of her seat in rapt attention.  Mile leaned back in his chair, pretending to be unaffected by clearly sniffling into his drink.

And Levi, always unreadable. He had an odd look on his face, distant and wistful almost, with his head cocked slightly to one side, as if straining to hear.

When he’d finished, Hange jumped out of her chair and ran around the table to throw herself at him in an embrace.  "Oh, Erwin that was perfect! You should sing that every time we return from a mission!”

“Absolutely not. Hange – do not go back and tell everyone about this.”

She waved a hand at him and downed the last of her drink, then spun on her heel and headed for the stairs.  “Sure, sure. I’m going up – if anyone needs me, I’ll be awake for a while. I have a lot of cataloguing to do!”

“Get some _sleep_ , Hange,” Erwin called after her, in as commanding a tone as he could muster. Someday, when he was Commander, he wondered how he was going to manage her. Maybe he could assign someone just to her, to remind her that she needed to attend to basic human needs—like eating and sleeping—once in a while.

“We’re off for the night as well,” Sarah said as she cleared away a few dishes.  Ian came up behind her and gave her waist a squeeze, encouraging her to stop fussing.  She smiled indulgently, and they said their goodnights to the group before heading upstairs.

Ruediger came over and looked up at Erwin with watery eyes.  “Ah, my boy, you truly are special.” Erwin tried to hide his bemused smile as the old man left, retiring to his quarters for the night.

Mike and Nanaba got up next, and Erwin shook his head at how they weren’t even trying to conceal the fact that they were going to bed at the same time.

“You know how it is,” Mike said lowly as he gave Erwin a pat on the back. Erwin bit the inside of his cheek—Mike was never one for espionage, but his damned nose had clued him in to the fact that Erwin and Levi had been together, and he knew he was going to lord it over him for as long as possible.

As Mike left Erwin to stew, Nile stood and came over to shake Erwin’s hand.  “I’ll be off early in the morning.  Take care of yourself.”

Erwin reached into his pocket and produced the two letters, one from him and one from Shadis, which Nile took with an understanding nod.

“I’ll write as soon as I have any news.”

Erwin went to retake his seat, but Nile stopped at the door and turned back. “Come to dinner sometime, won’t you? Marie would kill me if she found out I’d seen you and hadn’t asked.”

Erwin tried to force a smile and waited for a long second before responding. “Thank you for the invitation.”

Nile huffed out a breath in annoyance at Erwin’s non-committal response and hastened up the stairs.

With everyone else gone, Erwin and Levi sat quiet for a few minutes together, not daring to look at each other.

“What did you give to Nile?” Levi asked, sounding unconcerned.

Erwin paused for a moment, considering whether to tell Levi or not about the potential involvement of the royalty.  “Paperwork.”

Levi needed to know.  He couldn’t know every one of Erwin’s secrets – not yet, anyways – but this had to do with him, and it was only right to tell him.  “It was a request for an official pardon for you. A royal pardon.”

“What the hell?” Levi sat up straight in his seat and slapped his open palm on the table. “Are you out of your goddamned mind?”

Erwin startled, confused at Levi’s suddenly heated reaction. 

“In what sense would I be out of my mind?”

Levi let out an exasperated sigh and looked at Erwin earnestly. “Sticking your neck out for me like that.  You already probably broke every military rule to break me out of MP custody – assaulting soldiers, fucking who knows what sort of spying shit and now you’re going to vouch for me? You don’t even know me!”

Erwin licked his lips as he considered his response.

“That’s not what you said the other night.”

_You know me._ That was what Levi had said. No one else he had ever been with had, apparently.

Levi’s eyes flashed with surprise.  He took a deep breath and leaned back against his chair, looking away from Erwin’s intense stare. 

"I trust you,” Levi said, still looking down at his mug instead of at Erwin.  “If you think it’s the right call, fine.”

The mood shifted back into companionable quiet.  Erwin got up and added another log to the tavern fire and pushed the embers around a bit while Levi went to the kitchen to fetch them some bread and cheese Ruediger had left out for anyone that wanted it.  They ate and talked, Levi telling Erwin more about his time in Floren’s custody, and about Eli’s bravery (Levi called it insanity) in following the MPs as they’d transported him from Karanese out to the countryside. 

When they were done, Levi looked up and caught Erwin’s eye.

“It was nice. Your voice.”

“I think that’s the first compliment you’ve ever paid me, Levi.”

Levi looked irritated.  “Pfft, that can’t be true.”

“It’s most certainly true.”

“Well, whatever. I don’t hear you complimenting _me_ any, either.”

Levi loved to bait.  The only difference was, now Erwin could rise to it.

“How would you like me to compliment you? I could talk about your immeasurable skill, or your quick reflexes, or perhaps I could talk about the kind and caring person you really are, and how much I respect you for that.”

Levi made a dismissive sound.  “So sentimental.”

“Would you rather I compliment your appearance?”  He said it as a sort of joke, but Levi raised an eyebrow at him that made Erwin think he wouldn’t mind that kind of flattery.  It made sense, after all; although he found Levi compelling, most people talked about him like he was some sort of oddity.

“What would you say about my…appearance?”

Erwin swallowed. “I think I should say those things behind closed doors.”

Levi didn’t say another word, but his steel-grey eyes shone brilliantly with excitement.  He jumped up from his chair and tugged Erwin up after him, then led him out of the room towards the stairs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I hope you enjoy the idea of Erwin singing. I kind of have this headcanon of him as having an amazing and manly singing voice. Also, the song he sings is "The Parting Glass," an Irish folk song (may I recommend looking up the version by The High Kings? SO GOOD.)
> 
> Anways, this story is coming to a close soon; I probably have one more chapter and then an epilogue. Thanks for the continued love and support!! <3 Comments and kudos are greatly appreciated!


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kenny Ackerman's mission to recruit Levi may have been a failure, but he still gets his due. Erwin and Levi find some quiet time together after their ordeal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dear readers, thank you for your patience! I am so sorry for the delay on this chapter. I hope you enjoy!

Kenny Ackerman sauntered down the hall of the Reiss family estate, the heel of his boots echoing loudly off the pristine marble floor. The servants avoided him, scampering away down side hallways like mice running from a tomcat.  That suited him just fine. The MPs, however, treated him like he didn’t even exist, and that pissed him right the fuck off. Didn’t they know who he was, anyways?  He’d slit enough of their throats over the years that they should have taken care.  

He rubbed the brim of his hat with a forefinger and thumb, and gave the next MP he passed a menacing smile, just for the hell of it.

He had been summoned by Rod or, rather, by his daughter, Frieda, whom Kenny had been strenuously avoiding ever since she’d taken over Uri’s…position. Or whatever the fuck you called it.  Either way, he wasn’t looking forward to facing her now, in particular because he wasn’t there to deliver good news.

He reached the end of the long hall and was ushered into the sitting room by a manservant, who skittered out as soon as Kenny crossed the threshold.  There was a fire going inside, giving the room a stuffy feeling that instantly reminded him of the humid heat of the Underground on a midsummer day. It made his stomach turn just thinking about it.

Frieda was sitting in a wing-backed chair by the fire, and although he tried not to look at her, in the split-second he glanced her way their eyes locked.  He looked away quick, slightly horrified.  Before, she had just been a child, but now she was something different.  Her eyes made his spine shiver.  Uri was in there, somewhere, wasn’t he?

“Kenny!” Rod slammed his hands on his writing desk and jumped up to cross the room towards him. “What in the hell happened in Karanese? I’ve received a report about an illicit Military Police operation – several dead, a near-riot in the streets!”

“Yeah, sounds about right.” Kenny drawled, studiously examining his cuticles and avoiding looking at either of the room’s other occupants.

“I expect a detailed account of what happened.  Starting with how this operation went belly-up, leaving one of my most promising young officers dead!”

“Wha’d’ya want me to say, boss? Maybe if you’d let me take a real team of soldiers like I wanted to, people I could trust, it wouldn’t have been such a shit show.  As it was I was relyin’ on that one angry chick with her mind control plants…knew that shit wasn’t gonna work out.”

“Major Floren was well experienced with those ‘mind control plants’ – the art has been in her family for a century.  No, Kenny, it was your recklessness, your lack of direction that got us into this mess!”

“I told ya, I couldn’t be the one to bring Levi in. I had to hang back, it was just that –”

Rod cut him off, his jowls shaking with frustration. “You said he’d come without a fight! Instead he had a contingent of Survey Corps soldiers with him, including Erwin Smith!”

“Yeah, well, guess I was wrong about that.”

“I guess you were!”  Rod pursed his lips in displeasure.  “Well, now what do we do? We can’t just leave them all running around out there.  Smith is a snake. He’ll be all over trying to sort out why Levi was captured in the first place.”

“Leave them.” Frieda’s voice rang out across the room, cutting off any remaining the debate. 

“Frieda, what do you mean? We can’t just leave them! Smith will keep investigating and sooner or later that investigation is going to lead here – to us.”

“It won’t,” she said as she stood up from her chair.  “We have plenty of resources, we can mislead them.”

“But why? We shouldn’t take such a risk!”

“They’ll serve our purposes in the long run.” Frieda walked towards them both, her steps slow and deliberate, as her eyes flicked between Kenny and her father.  “Leave them.”

Kenny took off his hat and ran the brim around in his hands.  Frieda drew up close to him, looking him over like she was picking out a piece of meat at the butcher’s shop.  Kenny had the sudden urge to take a step back, but he pushed past the feeling and stood still, looking at nondescript spot on the carpet over her shoulder.

“If they outlive their usefulness, Kenny can take care of them.”

“No problem, ma’am.”

“Good.” She turned quick and went back to her chair, settling in to resume reading without so-much as another glance in his direction.  “And I think it’s time we give him his team, father.  Kenny has more than proved his usefulness to this family.” 

Rod let out a strangled noise of exasperation and turned a scowl on Kenny behind Frieda’s back.

“Thanks…Frieda.  I appreciate that.”

She turned and looked at him for a moment, her eerie eyes emotionless, before picking up a book and settling back into her chair.

Kenny smirked at Rod and then turned quick on his heel, seeing himself out.

~*~

As soon as the door to their room closed behind them, Levi was grasping at the chest strap of Erwin’ harness, pulling him into a rough kiss that was more teeth and tongue than anything else.  Erwin dug his fingers under Levi’s harness as they crashed against each other, their heated kisses and hurried movements quickly devolving into a race to see who could get the other’s harness off quicker.

Erwin, being vastly more experienced in the matter, won.  Levi’s harness fell loose from his waist and hit the ground with a clank, and before Levi could finish unfastening Erwin’s, he was tugging Levi’s shirt off over his head.

Levi arched up on tiptoes to nip at Erwin’s lower lip, his eyes glinting mischievously in the lantern light.  As he dropped back onto his heels, Erwin sucked in a breath in surprise – he had forgotten that Levi was injured, but there was no denying it now that he had full view of the blue-black bruises covering Levi’s stomach and chest.

Erwin laid his fingertips gently over Levi’s breastbone, looking down meaningfully at him. Levi grabbed hold of his hand and leaned up to kiss him again.

“Are you sure you’re up for this?”

“I’ve had worse.  It’s just annoying. Fucking cowards, kicking me while I was tied up.”

Erwin shook his head ruefully.  To look at him, you would think Levi was a frail, fragile thing, short enough to be mistaken for a child and fine-boned.  Inside, though, Erwin thought he was more like one of the blades they used for killing Titans – razor sharp and dangerous.  Erwin leaned down and kissed him again, reveling in the feel of his muscular body under his hands.

Levi yanked on Erwin’s shirt, and Erwin pulled it up over his head and tossed it aside, laughing to himself at the fact that Levi was too short to do it himself.  They both kicked off their boots in between increasingly sloppy kisses, and Erwin fumbled to unbutton Levi’s pants with fingers that felt over-large for the task. 

When they had both managed to finally shake off everything but their underwear, Erwin tugged Levi in close again, skin to skin, and raked his teeth over Levi’s neck.  Levi brushed a flat palm over the bulge in Erwin’s underwear, sending a jolt through him that made him shiver with excitement. Levi hummed with satisfaction, lips on Erwin’s chest, but before they could go any further he pulled back and looked up at Erwin.

“Hey, weren’t you going to compliment my appearance?”

Erwin cracked a crooked smile.  Levi’s idea of flirtation was, apparently, brusque and demanding, but Erwin thought that if Levi would be a needy lover he would spend all his time trying to satisfy him.  Erwin leaned down over him, running his hands down Levi’s spine and grabbing two handfuls of his ass as he pressed a line of kisses from his ear to his collarbone.

“You’re magnificent, Levi,” he whispered in between kisses.  Levi seemed to hold his breath, tense under Erwin’s touch.  “I’ve never known anyone like you – graceful yet deadly. I want you over and over.”

His words had the desired effect—Levi looked up at him with heavily lidded eyes and reached up to cradle Erwin’s face, pulling him down into an open-mouthed kiss as he rubbed his hard cock lewdly against Erwin’s thigh. Erwin kept up a steady kneading rhythm on Levi’s backside as their tongues twisted around each other.

He tried to be mindful of Levi’s injuries, but Levi was fighting him for dominance as he tried to gently guide him towards the bed, vicious mouth biting and licking and kissing wherever he could reach.  At last, after much cajoling, Levi wrapped his legs around Erwin’s midsection, and Erwin took the opportunity to wrestle him down against the bed, pressing down against him and kissing him deeply as Levi twined like a vine around him.

Erwin could feel the breath go out of Levi as they kissed.  He moaned into Erwin’s mouth and moved his hips, reminding Erwin of his arousal. Erwin shifted down, running his hands along the length of Levi’s torso as he tugged his underwear off.  His eyes flicked up and caught Levi’s before he took his cock into his mouth, swallowing him down without warning all the way to the back of his throat.

Levi shuddered and twisted a hand in Erwin’s hair.  He was silently pleased; their first time together had been incredible, but he had hardly been able to show Levi the proper attention because he had been so swept away in the heat of the moment.  Now, he wanted to take more time to fulfill all of those improper thoughts he’d been having about Levi.  He placed his hands on Levi’s small waist and bobbed up and down on his cock, relishing the feel of Levi writhing underneath him, hot and wanting and only for him.

“Do you know how much I’ve wanted you?” he said, before he slipped his mouth down again over Levi’s cock.  Levi cursed and punched his clenched fists backwards against the mattress, clearly fighting the urge to thrust down Erwin’s throat.

Erwin snaked a hand around to tease him, slowly starting to prepare him. Levi shuddered and shifted towards the edge of the bed, spreading his legs wide to give Erwin better access.

Erwin pulled off Levi’s cock again and replaced his mouth with his hand, slipping it downwards as he trailed his tongue lower to swipe in broad strokes over Levi’s balls.  He looked up and saw Levi peering down at him, his teeth biting his bottom lip red and swollen.

“Where’s that oil?” Erwin purred as he lapped at the base of Levi’s cock. Levi groaned then sat up abruptly, yanking Erwin with him and jostling him onto the bed.  He was off towards his pack, rummaging quickly for the small vial, and was back in a flash, his hard cock red and straining as he clambered up to straddle Erwin’s waist.

Levi uncorked the vial with one hand and poured some out onto his fingers.  Erwin watched him heatedly as he slowly pressed two fingers in, a rumbling groan dribbling out from his lips.  He threw his head back and bit his lip as he rocked down onto them, clearly putting on a show.  Erwin petted at the strong muscles in Levi’s thighs as he worked himself open, the only sound in the room his occasional, breathy grunt.

“Why don’t you come up here while you do that?” Erwin asked him.

Levi’s lip curled upwards devilishly, and he scooted up the length of Erwin’s torso until he was straddling his chest, his cock jutting out from his body hard and rosy red right in front of Erwin’s face.  Erwin ran the tip of his tongue over the head then opened his mouth to take it in, and Levi jolted with pleasure, his jaw falling slack.  After a moment he went back to preparing himself, driving himself into a state of frenzy as Erwin simultaneously sucked on his cock.

Erwin pulled back to catch his breath and looked up at Levi.  From this angle, he could see every muscular curve of his abdomen and chest, along with the corded muscle of his forearms. Erwin turned his head and laid a trail of kisses down Levi’s left thigh as he watched him, enraptured.

The kisses, somehow, seemed too much for Levi, who cursed and suddenly stopped what he was doing.  He shifted and grabbed Erwin’s cock, lining himself up, then pressed down onto it with brutal speed.  Erwin groaned, louder than he really ought to have, as Levi pushed all the way down, his ass coming to rest against Erwin’s pelvis.

They both exhaled, and Erwin gripped Levi’s thighs as they took a moment to gather their composure.  Sweat formed on Levi’s brow, but then he was moving again before Erwin really had a chance to catch him breath, sliding up and down on Erwin’s cock with a maddeningly slow glide that made him want to flip him over and pound him into oblivion.

Levi’s cock jutted out from his body, hard and rosy red, as he picked up the pace, riding Erwin into the mattress.  Erwin lost himself to it, his head sinking back into the pillows, eyes falling closed, but then he felt Levi lay down on top of him and lick a thin stripe across his jawline and he snapped back into focus.  He wrapped his arms around Levi and braced his feet against the mattress, leveraging up to pound into Levi over and over.  

“Yeah,  _fuck me_ , that’s so fucking good.”  Levi egged him on, his hands scrabbling for purchase against Erwin’s chest.

He pushed Levi back upright and wrapped a hand around his cock, jerking him off in concert with his thrusts.  Levi came with a grunt, his come leaking over Erwin’s clenched fist as he wrung every drop from him. Erwin could tell he was close too, but as Levi swayed over him in the aftermath of his orgasm, he paused, not wanting to rush.

Levi opened his eyes and gazed at Erwin.

“Can you come like this?”

Erwin let out a short huff of laughter and nodded.

“Good.”

Levi ran his hand down Erwin’s chest and braced himself, then started to pick up the pace again.  He rocked his hips slowly at first, then built up speed until Erwin felt like he was on fire from head to toe.  Levi watched him the entire time; his curious expression was the last thing Erwin saw before his eyes forced themselves shut.  It wasn’t long before he grabbed Levi’s ass and pulled him down onto his cock, coming with a muffled grunt.

Levi rolled off to the side, panting, giving them both some time to breathe.  After a minute Erwin shifted to face him and pulled him in close again, kissing his face and neck.  Levi guided Erwin’s mouth to his and they kissed lazily for a minute, hands roaming freely over their naked bodies.  After a while Erwin felt Levi’s cock grow hard against his hip and he reached down and tugged at it until Levi tossed his head back and came again with an open-mouthed grunt.

“You’re too good. Where the fuck did you come from?” Levi said as he turned hazy eyes back on Erwin. 

“I don’t know – you inspire me.”

Levi clicked his tongue in mock-disgust, but the edge of his lip curled up in a tiny smile.  Erwin rolled so he was partially on top of him and kissed at that spot over and over, until Levi turned and caught his mouth for a slow, lingering kiss. 

They stayed intertwined for a few more minutes, and Erwin watched as Levi’s eyes fell closed.    Erwin felt all the tension and worry and fear from the past few days started to leech out of him as he rubbed his hand over Levi’s back.  Objectively, he had been confidant, from the moment he found out that Levi had been apprehended until the moment he had found him in the dungeon of that old tower, that he would bring him back, but there had been that lingering fear snaking its way through his conscious thought the whole time, telling him that Levi was lost.  He felt, somewhat self-absorbedly, that maybe it had all been a punishment, aimed at taking him down a notch.  He had found some small happiness with Levi, but it was undeserved, and the world was going to take it away from him. Or so he had feared.

“I can literally see you thinking yourself into something stupid.  Knock it off.” Levi said, giving Erwin a gentle shove.  Erwin looked down at him with a smile.  He hadn’t even noticed that Levi was staring up at him. 

“You know, you and Nile seemed awfully friendly downstairs,” Erwin said teasingly, avoiding discussing what was really on his mind.

Levi sneered visibly. “Mike told me about Nile – how he was supposed to join Survey Corps with you, but then bailed at the last minute and got married.”

“Are you jealous?” Erwin smirked.  Instead of Levi’s usual caustic sarcasm, though, his face turned suddenly cold and serious.

“Should I be?”

Erwin sighed and propped himself up on one elbow.  “Things have been over between me and Nile for years—”   

Levi cut him off with a wave of his hand.

“That’s not what I meant.”

Erwin licked his lips subconsciously and waited, but Levi didn’t seem overly forthcoming.

“What  _do_ you mean then?”

Levi sat up and looked down at his hands folded in front of him.

“I had a lot of time to think you know, while I was being carted around and harassed by those MP assholes.  I know you’ve got bigger shit going on than…whatever the fuck this is.” He waved vaguely at the space between them, keeping his eyes averted.

“Levi,” Erwin reached out a hand and touched his shoulder, pulling him back down towards him on the bed. 

“You’re right of course – there is a lot going on, and I think we’ve seen these past few days what a tangled mess this world truly is. Since I’ve joined Survey, I’ve focused all of my energy on defeating the Titans, for good.  I – it’s been…” he trailed off, thinking back to so many years spent alone. He was disciplined, dedicated, single-minded even in his work, and that gave him satisfaction; but still, there had been times he’d been so lonely for intimacy that he had felt it like a hollow pit in his chest.

“Well, whatever this is, to use your words, I was hoping we could…keep it up.”

Levi inclined his head up to look at him as he grabbed Erwin’s hand and twined their fingers tightly together.

“Nothing has changed for me, you know,” Levi said as he nestled his head down against Erwin’s chest.  “I’ll follow you, until one or the other of us is dead. Simple as that.”

“Nothing has changed?” Erwin said quietly into Levi’s hair.

“You know what I mean.”

Erwin smiled and gave Levi a squeeze.  Perhaps he did know.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part of the reason this was so delayed is because I didn't want this to end! It's been really rewarding publishing this story throughout this past year. There were many times this year I was really in rough shape mentally, and having this to come back to was huge for me. I hope you all know how much I appreciate your support! ^_^
> 
> I was originally intending on an epilogue, but it didn't fit with the narrative. Instead I hope to make it it's own stand alone one-shot story in the near future! Please feel free to find me on tumblr at reeseykins.tumblr.com for occasional drabbles and rantings about eruri. <3


End file.
